Minnesota Timberwolves: 3 takeaways from recent success

2. Karl-Anthony Towns has upped his game as well

Karl-Anthony Towns signed a five-year, $190 million max extension with the Timberwolves during the offseason and prior to Butler’s departure, he was playing reasonably well.

During the team’s first 13 games, his numbers included 19.9 points and 10.8 rebounds per game on 45.9 percent shooting from the field. Since the trade, however, his numbers have increased in multiple categories.

Over the last 12 outings, his scoring has increased to 22.8 points per contest. His rebounding has improved, as he is pulling down 13.2 boards per outing. This includes three separate outings in which he hauled in more than 20 rebounds.

Even more impressive is the fact that his shooting efficiency has increased by nearly seven percentage points, as Towns has converted 52.3 percent of his overall attempts.

It was somewhat doubtful if KAT fell into the category of players that are offered the kind of super-max deal that he signed during the offseason. But based on the numbers he has put up since the team parted ways with Butler, he is doing his best to show that the organization made a wise choice with investing in him for the long-term.