Root For: A Healthy Karl-Anthony Towns
Another hot take: it’s better to have your stars healthy for the playoffs. While this doesn’t seem controversial, the Timberwolves maintaining their success even without their All-Star big man has brought questions as to how vital his role really is.
The Timberwolves have managed to go 10-4 since Towns tore his meniscus and, in his absence, they have been sharing the basketball on offense in the way that Chris Finch has always envisioned. They have ranked ninth over their last 14 games in the percentage of baskets that are assisted, up from 13th.
Even more impressive, they have cut their turnover percentage down to the 7th lowest in the league whereas they rank 23rd for the season as a whole. Conversely, the team's effective field goal percentage has only been 12th over this stretch, down from 9th on the season as a whole and their rebounding percentage has dropped from 8th to 23rd.
Like most offensive superstars, Towns can be a double-edged sword. His need for the ball can jeopardize offensive flow. However, his spectacular shooting, and the gravity that comes with it is unquestionably a ceiling raiser for the Timberwolves and a high ceiling is really what the playoffs are about.
Rumors have swirled that the Wolves' big man is “ahead of schedule” in his recovery process. Whether this means he will be ready for the start of the playoffs remains to be seen but it is undoubtedly good news for Timberwolves fans.