Top 10 Candidates To Be First-Time All-Stars In 2017

2. Karl-Anthony Towns

Coming into his rookie year, most assumed that Karl-Anthony Towns would be a good player. Few could have predicted just how dominant he would end up being in his rookie season. Towns established himself as a top-10 center in just his first year in the league.

It appears as though the Minnesota Timberwolves once again have an MVP-caliber big man in the middle.

Towns averaged 20.6 points, 11.7 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per 36 minutes in his rookie season. He is the personification of the modern NBA big man.

With the ability to handle the ball, shoot from behind the arc, switch onto wings on defense, and score with his back to the basket or facing up. While many teams switch to small ball, Towns gives the Wolves the ability to play “small” while maintaining size.

But Towns isn’t just an offensive player. While all rookies struggle defensively, Towns was about as good as you could reasonably expect for someone learning the NBA game.

Even modest growth in his game heading into his sophomore season would enter him into the discussion of best center in the league. He is one of the brightest young stars in the league and a likely All-Star, even if the Wolves aren’t a playoff team next season.

Next: All-Star Lock In Utah