NBA Summer League: 5 Takeaways From Week One

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Jul 10, 2015; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves forward Karl-Anthony Towns (32) shoots against the defense of Los Angeles Lakers center Robert Upshaw (12) during an NBA Summer League game at Thomas & Mack Center. Minnesota won the game 81-68. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports /

Karl-Anthony Towns Is A Work In Progress

The Timberwolves’ reigning No. 1 overall pick has as much star potential as anybody in the 2015 NBA Draft class, but it will be a while before he taps that potential.

Through two games in Las Vegas, the Kentucky product is averaging a solid 10.5 points, 6.0 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game. He’s definitely showed flashes of dominance, but he’s been inconsistent as a shooter – most prospects struggle shooting in Summer League – and has struggled at times with fouling.

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Perhaps the biggest concern for Towns is how he’s performed against quality opponents in his first two games.

In his NBA debut, he struggled against the Lakers’ young, albeit big, front line. He was inefficient scoring against and defending the length of Tarik Black and Robert Upshaw, but most alarmingly he was consistently beaten on the boards.

In his second outing, he did a better job on the glass, but shot a brutal 4-for-11 from the field in a nine-point effort and was outplayed by Bulls’ rookie Bobby Portis, who put up 23 points and seven boards in his NBA debut.

Towns has a tremendously high ceiling, and his performance in Las Vegas has no effect on his potential, but it shows that he has some work to do before he’s ready to put up big numbers in the NBA.

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