Karl-Anthony Towns: Believe the Hype
Karl-Anthony Towns has looked great for the Timberwolves so far in Summer League and preseason. (Photo by BleacherReport.com)
I came across these Karl-Anthony Towns highlights on Twitter this morning and had to share an “I told you so” moment. In my Mock Draft article, I shared that:
“Towns is dynamic in the low post, a high-level defender at the next level and despite beinglimited by Coach Calipari at UK, is a knockdown perimeter shooter.”
Dating back to seeing Towns in high school at St. Joseph’s of Metuchen (including almost dunking on current Bard sophomore DeVahnte Mosley in a New Jersey state playoff game), I saw the potential Towns had to stretch the floor at every level. He could truly stroke it from three-point range as well as dominate with smooth interior moves. I was shocked when Towns’ perimeter shooting ability was reigned in at Kentucky. Luckily for the 19-year-old, NBA front offices (or at least the Timberwolves) saw past his limited shots from distance in college and knew the type of potential Towns had in the new NBA.
“In the new pace-and-space NBA, Towns is a sure-fire top pick here and a future All Star.”
And I was exactly right. Watch what Towns does in this video. He makes a few nice hook shots in the post (with both his right and left hands), but what really separates him is his ability to bring defenders out to the perimeter and make shots. Look at the first jumper he hits in the highlights – he looks like a guard setting his feet, squaring his body and knocking down a long two-pointer. He is exactly the prototype player for the future of the NBA. He can guard both 4s and 5s and can play either position offensively, as depending on the matchup he can post up smaller players or run circles around bigger, slower players on the perimeter.
It’s not my job to question John Calipari, he is one of the best coaches of our generation, but part of me wonders if that Kentucky team goes 40-0 last season if he lets Towns be the dynamic stretch-forward that he could have been. Regardless, I maintain my prediction that Towns is a current and future star and a definitive All-Star sooner, rather than later.
CoachSass.com 