Less is more for Karl-Anthony Towns and the Minnesota Timberwolves

A former number one overall pick and the self-proclaimed best big man shooter of all-time, Karl-Anthony Towns was often seen as the savior for a Minnesota Timberwolves franchise starved of postseason appearances.

But the T-Wolves are now on the precipice of making the playoffs for just the second time in 18 seasons. They’re currently locked into a seventh-place finish at a minimum, with a strong finish to the season and favorable results potentially pushing them out of the Play-In Tournament altogether.

Less is more for Karl-Anthony Towns and the Minnesota Timberwolves

Towns has been a major component of the Minnesota Timberwolves rise, even if his individual numbers have taken a hit. It’s a classic case of less is more for Towns and the Timberwolves offense.

The big man averaged a career-high 26.5 points in the 2019-20 season, falling to 24.8 points last season. That’s now decreased further to 24.6, while his 9.8 rebounds per game are a career-low.

Those numbers reflect the reduced responsibility Towns has had to bare this season. D’Angelo Russell’s availability has been far greater, Anthony Edwards has increased his scoring thanks to greater efficiency, and Jarred Vanderbilt has become a renowned rebounder at 8.5 per game.

The end result? Minnesota has the seventh-best offense in the league, up from 25th last season and 24th in the 2019-20 season. That’s largely due to a greater efficient field goal percentage, an aspect Towns has been a key pillar in.

"“I’m the greatest big man shooter of all time. That’s a fact. You can see the stats. I ain’t got to play like no one else. Everyone trying to find themselves to be the second version of me when I’m the first version. I don’t got to be the second version of someone else. I’m already an original. I don’t have to be a duplicate of someone else”. – Towns in December last year"

He may have fortified that quote with a win in the NBA Three-Point Contest at All-Star weekend, but there’s no coincidence that the Timberwolves’ offense is better when Towns is being aggressive at the rim rather than living beyond the arc.

His three-point attempts have reduced drastically over the past three seasons. Towns attempted a whopping 7.9 per game in 2019-20, down to 6.3 last season, and 4.9 this season.

So as much as he may have a historic asset for someone his size, the team is still better when he’s using his seven-foot frame in a more traditional way. His 53.3 percent from the field is well above the 48.6 percent of last season.

If Towns can get the right mix between inside and perimeter scoring while the team retains their efficient and productive offensive output, the Timberwolves could be a dangerous opponent for any team should they make the postseason.