With the arrival of Rudy Gobert to Wolves, Karl Anthony Towns will go from the position of pivot to that of strong winger. Even if the positions have changed a lot in recent seasons, and the time has come for versatility in the NBA, many are wondering about this association in the era of the “small ball”.
“The last time I knew something like that was obviously with Gorgui Dieng. I played power forward for many years in the NBA. People forgot, very good”, responds the person concerned. “Also look at college. That’s how I played in college. Willie Cauley-Stein (with whom he played in Kentucky) is like 2m18 (rather 2m13 in reality). I don’t know how they managed to miss that. “
For Karl-Anthony Towns, there is in any case something to work on.
“I think Rudy is one of the best defensemen we’ve ever seen in the NBA. He has the awards to prove it. I think I’m one of the best forwards and one of the greatest talents the NBA has ever seen. So by putting us together, it really gives us a whole spectrum of talent to use. “
Karl-Anthony Towns “Aspects of the Game” Still Unlockable
It is true that Karl-Anthony Towns is not a defensive anchor, nor a bully under the circle. Even if he made efforts in the field, the arrival of Rudy Gobert should thus stabilize the defensive covers of Wolves, in particular on the pick-and-roll, and much better move opponents away from the circle.
Still, KAT will in this configuration have to defend against much more external players.
“I had a lot of fun playing off the pitch and defending off the pitch,” continues Karl-Anthony Towns. “I was really able to use my strengths in defense, namely the ability to change positions and defend from point guard to pivot. I’m going to have fun getting out there to support Rudy when we need to build muscle with big lineups. And if they play “small”, I feel very comfortable with the idea of defending on the outside and doing stuff like that, on the wings. “
As for “technical” considerations, Karl-Anthony Towns leaves that to his “work colleague, Chris Finch”. It is thus up to the coach to find the patterns, both offensive and defensive, for the Gobert/Towns association to work. But the Wolves head coach already has a few ideas in mind.
“There are aspects of his game that we can still unlock”he explains in particular about Karl-Anthony Towns. “You can put him in different places on the court, maybe put him in actions that guys his size don’t usually do. It’s a luxury we have. That’s the fun part, when you think about what we might be able to do. “
| Karl Anthony Towns | Percentage | Bounces | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Crew | GM | Minimum | Shots | 3 points | LF | Off | Def | Early | pd | party | Int | bp | CT | Points |
| 2015-16 | MIN | 82 | 32 | 54.3 | 34.1 | 81.1 | 2.8 | 7.7 | 10.4 | 2.0 | 3.0 | 0.7 | 2.2 | 1.7 | 18.3 |
| 2016-17 | MIN | 82 | 37 | 54.2 | 36.7 | 83.2 | 3.6 | 8.7 | 12.3 | 2.7 | 2.9 | 0.7 | 2.6 | 1.3 | 25.1 |
| 2017-18 | MIN | 82 | 36 | 54.5 | 42.1 | 85.8 | 2.9 | 9.4 | 12.3 | 2.4 | 3.5 | 0.8 | 1.9 | 1.4 | 21.3 |
| 2018-19 | MIN | 77 | 33 | 51.8 | 40.0 | 83.6 | 3.4 | 9.0 | 12.4 | 3.4 | 3.8 | 0.9 | 3.1 | 1.6 | 24.4 |
| 2019-20 | MIN | 35 | 34 | 50.8 | 41.2 | 79.6 | 2.7 | 8.1 | 10.8 | 4.4 | 3.3 | 0.9 | 3.1 | 1.2 | 26.5 |
| 2020-21 | MIN | 50 | 34 | 48.6 | 38.7 | 85.9 | 2.7 | 7.9 | 10.6 | 4.5 | 3.7 | 0.8 | 3.2 | 1.1 | 24.8 |
| 2021-22 | MIN | 74 | 34 | 52.9 | 41.0 | 82.2 | 2.6 | 7.2 | 9.8 | 3.6 | 3.6 | 1.0 | 3.1 | 1.1 | 24.6 |
| Total | 482 | 34 | 52.8 | 39.7 | 83.3 | 3.0 | 8.3 | 11.3 | 3.1 | 3.4 | 0.8 | 2.7 | 1.4 | 23.2 | |
