Karl-Anthony Towns Declares He's One Of The Best Offensive Players And Talents The NBA Has Ever Seen
Joe Murphy. Getty Images.(CBS Sports) - Trading for the three-time Defensive Player of the Year in exchange for a massive haul of four first-round picks, five players and a pick swap, Minnesota sent the message that it wasn't going to wait around for its young core to develop any further. The time to win is now, a sentiment that Towns echoed earlier this summer when he said the upcoming season is "championship or bust," and he feels that he and Gobert complement each other in all the right ways.
"I think that Rudy's one of the best defensive players we've ever had in the NBA. He has the hardware to prove it," Towns told CBS Sports. "I think I'm one of the best offensive players and talents the NBA has ever seen. So putting us together gives us really a whole spectrum of talent to use."
Most agree that the addition of Gobert should result in regular-season improvement for the Wolves, who went 46-36 last season and earned the No. 7 seed in the Western Conference. They finished 13th in defensive rating, and putting a center of Gobert's pedigree in the middle should at least get them into the top 10, possibly higher. But skeptics point to Gobert's relative defensive struggles in previous postseason series when teams have elected to go small. Now Minnesota will have to figure out how to make it work not only with Gobert, but also with its 7-foot franchise player on the court.
I love the confidence here from KAT. If you don't believe in yourself, who will? I know some might be quick to rag on KAT for saying this out loud, but he kind of has a point. He is an offensive unicorn. Few players in NBA history have had his size and offensive skill. What's crazy is even though he's 6'11, there really isn't a zone on the floor he doesn't thrive in. That's what makes him so unique.
He had a game this past season where he dropped 60, and I could argue that right this second he's the greatest three point shooting center in NBA history. KAT is the all time 3P leader in terms of 3PM from a center with 779 which seems pretty good. There are some who consider him the greatest shooting big period, not just at center. Maybe you think that's Dirk, but here's the case for KAT. He's a career 39.7% shooter on legit volume and has multiple seasons over 40% from deep. If you were curious, Dirk is a 38% career three point shooter and in his seasons where he finished over 40%, it wasn't really close to the volume that KAT is shooting. He crushes him in terms of 3PM with 1,606, but that also includes 13 more seasons than KAT has currently played.
When I watch KAT play offense he looks like a kid that was a guard his whole life and then had a massive growth spurt that made him 6'11 and turned him into a big. His handles, how he shoots, his post game, it's all elite. You don't become a lock for around 24 points per game without being one of the best offensive players in the league, I don't care who you are.
The thing is, offense was never the issue with KAT. It's always been how he looks on the other end. Not playing soft has also been a big part of his career so far. That's sort of why the Wolves went all in on Gobert, because in theory he cleans up all the defensive issues that KAT might have, and he can focus on just getting buckets. That's what makes the Wolves so fascinating heading into this season. They have the talent, they have the momentum from last season's rise, and they just added one of the best in history at what they do in terms of defensive dominance which just so happens to be the Wolves biggest weakness. I can't wait to see how it plays out.
Now, would I say KAT is a better offensive talent than say, Kevin Durant? No. There are also guys throughout history that you could probably say are better offensive players. But the foundation of his point is correct in my opinion. Given his position, they don't really make offensive players like him. He's for sure an offensive unicorn.
The question is whether that will ever translate to wins/deep playoff runs. If you talk like this in the offseason, you have to back it up once the games start. If not, then nobody is really going to give a shit how good you are offensively if your team never wins.