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Inconsistency continues to be Karl-Anthony Towns’ calling card. It is a problem.
It’s also infuriating, because we’ve seen the best version of him in segments. He will make quick decisions from the start. He will attack downhill after the dribble. He will vomit three in great volume. He will lead the prosecution. He will struggle on defense: harder closeouts, resistance to screens, better positioning in the pick-and-roll and away from the ball.
This isn’t the city’s version the Minnesota Timberwolves have gotten thus far, however. Its pockets of aggression and defensive engagement are currently the exception, residing miles and miles from The Rule’s village.
Fundamental issues with the Wolves roster could be at work. Here again, Rudy Gobert and Naz Reid both largely dominated the 27-year-old. And that should never be a thing, no matter how you feel about core composition.
Minnesota desperately needs cities to get by, at a minimum, for weeks. He’s too valuable to the offense, even with Reid teasing yet another big step forward. He’s also too expensive to be a team’s third-best player. His $36 million salary will rise to $49.7 million next season, the first of a four-year, $222.7 million extension.
Whether it’s showing that he can find and maintain a long-term peak on this team or that he can play well enough and long enough to bolster his trade appeal, the pressure is on Towns to prove he is more than a polarizing swing.
