Minnesota Timberwolves: Has KAT become underrated?

Despite being a former No. 1 pick and multiple time All-Star for the Minnesota Timberwolves, KAT’s elite play has failed to be recognized by the NBA world.

Heading into the 2015 NBA Draft, there was little to no doubt as to who the Minnesota Timberwolves would select with their very first No. 1 overall pick in franchise history.

Coming out of Kentucky, Karl-Anthony Towns looked every bit the type of big man an organization would want in this downsized era of basketball. An athletic seven-footer, he possessed terrific hands around the basket and showed flashes of an outside jumper. He still needed work defensively, but the tools were in place for KAT to rule the NBA for years to come.

In almost four seasons in the league, he’s become a nightly double-double threat with career averages of 22.0 points and 11.8 rebounds per game. A two-time All-Star who helped end Minnesota’s 13-year playoff drought, Towns has probably been everything the T-Wolves could’ve hoped for and then some, and yet it seems like one of the most statistically dominant players in the game isn’t receiving the love he should.

Consider this: In the 2018-19 season, KAT is currently averaging 23.9 points shooting .518/.396/.830, 12.4 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.8 blocks per game. Guess how many players have combined those numbers with that type of all-around efficiency. Just one, and his name is Karl-Anthony Towns.

Since Tom Thibodeau was fired on Jan. 6, he’s been even better, upping his production to 27.2 points on a line of .562/.422/.831 to go along with 12.7 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.5 blocks in just 32.3 minutes a night.

Defensively, he’s no candidate for Defensive Player of the Year, but Towns has taken tremendous strides at that end of the court, with career-highs in both steals and blocks per game. He contests the fourth most shots in the league and Minnesota’s defense is better with its starting center on the court.

Seeing as how he’s qualified for the All-Star team in each of the last two seasons, it’s difficult to complain about the lack of recognition given to Towns, but upon a further dive into his contributions for the Wolves on a nightly basis, one would think he’d have a cult following at this point.

Both the NBA fanbase and media gush over the production and theatrics Joel Embiid delivers every night. They marvel at what Anthony Davis can do on the basketball court with his ability to affect the game at both ends. Hell, even Rudy Gobert is given love for his elite defensive prowess, and rightfully so, but then there’s Towns, quietly doing things nobody in the history in the league has ever accomplished without so much as a segment on national tv.

The absence of attention can likely be attributed to the lack of winning. The Timberwolves currently sit at just 29-33 on the season, a far cry from their 47-win campaign last year, although that doesn’t help to explain the notoriety AD has received while the New Orleans Pelicans have made just as many postseason appearances as the Wolves since Towns entered the league.

The departure of both Thibs and Jimmy Butler didn’t help. Neither has the inconsistency of the supporting cast. It’s difficult to blame Towns, though, when his supposed co-star in Andrew Wiggins is shooting just 39.5 percent from the field while collecting over $25 million in salary this season.

He’s still just 23 years of age locked into a contract through the 2023-24 season. Hopefully, the future for Towns and Minnesota is brighter than the present, but considering what he’s doing right now in trying to keep the Wolves relevant, it’s about time KAT is grouped together with the other elites at his position in a way that highlights his other-worldly talents.