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NBA: Players Primed For Breakout Seasons

By Colby Giacubeno

Jan 27, 2016; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) celebrates a basket in the fourth quarter against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Target Center. The Oklahoma City Thunder beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 126-123. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 27, 2016; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) celebrates a basket in the fourth quarter against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Target Center. The Oklahoma City Thunder beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 126-123. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports /
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Mar 11, 2016; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) reacts after a play against the Oklahoma City Thunder during the fourth quarter at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports /

Karl-Anthony Towns

Coming in to the 2015 NBA Draft, Towns was the projected No. 1 selection and was being labeled as a “sure thing.” Taking into mind all the players who were the top overall pick and projected to be the league’s next superstar, there is always a chance that they can turn out to be a “bust,” but Towns followed suit behind Anthony Davis (also out of Kentucky) in terms of being an immediate impact player.

The 20-year-old was unanimously voted as the 2015-16 Rookie of the Year, becoming just the fifth rookie to do so since 1984. Towns wasn’t just the most impressive rookie from last season, he was also amongst the league’s best centers stat-wise, averaging 18.3 points, 10.5 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks, all of which were ranked in the top 10 for his position.

He also recorded 51 double-doubles on the year, which ranked third in the NBA trailing Andre Drummond (66) and Russell Westbrook (54).

Heading into next season, Towns will have Tom Thibodeau as his new head coach. Thibodeau has often been regarded as one of the best basketball minds in the game today, especially on the defensive end. Adapting to the NBA game defensively is alway a process for rookies, but Towns displayed the physical traits to bang around with his opponents and keep them at bay.

With Thibodeau at the helm, Towns’ defensive output will surely improve, but he also showed signs of growth offensively during his rookie campaign. He created mismatches nightly with his ability to put the ball on the floor at his size and as the season progressed, he started showing his ability to shoot the long-ball, finishing with a 34.1 three-point percentage.

It’s not farfetched to predict that Towns will be in the All-Star conversation in just his second year in the league.

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