2. Karl-Anthony Towns
Karl-Anthony Towns arrived in Minnesota as the first overall pick of the 2015 Draft, and he did exactly what you want in his rookie season by winning the Rookie of the Year award and being a fringe All-Star candidate. What you expect after is for steady improvement, and again, this is exactly what the T-Wolves have received thus far.
KAT followed that rookie year with what is to date a career-high of 25.1 Points per Game and a balanced 12.3 Rebounds per Game, numbers similar to those in the two years that followed. In the last two seasons, he was chosen for the All-Star Game and was named a Third Team All-NBA selection in 2017/18. Towns has not had much help and has only led Minnesota to the playoffs once, but this is a player who has averaged well over 22 Points and 11 Rebounds per Game with a PER of 25, which is one hell of a set of numbers for any basketball player. Frustration had to creep in, as Minnesota was consistently bad; however, before the 2023-24 Season, he was paired with Rudy Gobert in the front court, and Anthony Edwards was emerging as a star. The year after, the T-Wolves finally looked like contenders, and Towns was healthy and was an All-Star for the fourth time. The Timberwolves made it to the Western Conference Finals, but after the season, he was traded to the New York Knicks in a shock trade.
KAT went to his first All-Star game as a Knick, but the story has not yet been written about who won this deal. Nevertheless, Towns' significant impact in Minnesota can not be downplayed.
The Bullet Points
- Position: Center
- Acquired: Drafted in the 1st Round, 1st Overall in the NBA Draft 6/25/15.
- Departed: Traded to the New York Knicks as part of a three-team trade. The Charlotte Hornets traded James Nnaji to New York. Minnesota traded a 2025 2nd Round Pick to Charlotte. New York traded Charlie Brown Jr., DaQuan Jeffries, Duane Washington Jr., a 2026 2nd Round Pick, and a 2031 2nd Round Pick to Charlotte. New York traded Keita Bates-Diop, Donte DiVincenzo, Julius Randle, and a 2025 1st Round Pick to Minnesota 10/2/24.
- Games Played: 573
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Per Game Averages: 34.0 MP
.576 eFG%
.839 FT
22.9 PTS
10.8 RB
3.2 AST
0.8 STL
1.3 BLK
32 Playoff Games
34.2 MP
.524 eFG%
.824 FT
18.8 PTS
10.2 RB
2.4 AST
0.7 STL
0.8 BLK
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Advanced Stats: 23.8 PER
.623 TS%
31.8 VORP
75.0 WS
32 Playoff Games
17.3 PER
.583 TS%
0.8 VORP
2.3 WS
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Major Accolades and Awards: Third Team All-NBA (2018 & 2022)
All-Star (2018, 2019, 2022 & 2024)
NBA Rookie of the Year (2016)
First Team All-Rookie (2016)
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