It was after the Minnesota Timberwolves’ six-game series loss to the San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference semifinals that fans seemed to completely turn on Julius Randle. It was an absolute nightmare of a series for the three-time All-Star.
Now, the guy that Randle (along with Donte DiVincenzo and a first-round pick that became Joan Beringer) was traded for, Karl-Anthony Towns, is facing that same Spurs team in the 2026 NBA Finals. It took just one game for Towns to already make more of an impact against Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs than Randle did over the entire series.
Towns does work on both ends against Wemby
Towns’ overall numbers from Game 1 of the finals won’t pop off the page (18 points, 12 rebounds, four assists), but it can be argued that he was the best player in the New York Knicks’ win. He certainly wasn’t deterred by the insane size and length of Wemby, as there were a few instances he drove from the top of the key to straight under the basket. Sure, Wembanyama got him once with a block, but Towns finished those drives a few times.
Altogether, according to NBA.com, Towns made three baskets with Wembanyama as his defender. The numbers that really stand out, though, are from when KAT guarded the third-place MVP finisher and reigning Western Conference Finals MVP. Wembanyama shot 2-for-11 from the field and missed both of his 3-point tries with the longtime Timberwolves player guarding him.
Part of the reason that Towns is able to drive on Wembanyama is because of the amount of respect he receives for his 3-point prowess. The same amount of respect doesn’t have to be shown to Randle when he is standing behind the arc. He shot just 31.5 percent from 3-point distance during the regular season and an ugly 4-for-21 (19.0 percent) against the Spurs.
Other brutal numbers from the San Antonio series from Randle include twice as many turnovers (18) as assists (nine), and under 40 percent shooting from inside the arc. It was a series that cemented in most fans’ minds that the Wolves need a better and more reliable second option.Â
Randle also had no luck when guarded by Wembanyama. For the series, he shot just 5-for-22 from the field (1-for-9 on 3-pointers) when manned by the 7-foot-4 center.
It’s just one game from Towns, but that one game is already better than any outing from Randle in his 6 against the Spurs. It continues an excellent postseason for KAT, while Randle furthered the narrative that his best work normally doesn't come in the playoffs.
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