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Karl-Anthony Towns Will Succeed With Minnesota Timberwolves’ Young Core

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Karl-Anthony Towns

Brad Rempel-USA Today Sports

It was no surprise that the versatile 19-year-old 7-footer Karl-Anthony Towns was taken by the Minnesota Timberwolves as the No.1 overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft last night. With the addition of Towns, the Timberwolves are instantly better and appear ready to hunt.

Clearly the best player in this year’s draft, Towns starred as a freshman on a loaded University of Kentucky Wildcats team and was named SEC Freshman of the Year. While it will likely require some time as his game adjusts to the speed of the NBA, Towns will undoubtedly deliver on the high expectations heaped on his broad shoulders for a rebuilding Timberwolves squad that is stacked with young talent.

With his well-chronicled 7-foot-4 wingspan, Towns is a rare find. He possesses the size and skill to dominate in the post and on the perimeter on both sides of the court.

Towns is a good low-post scorer capable of backing down defenders, and he displayed a nice hook shot from close range in this year’s NCAA tournament. He has a textbook shooting touch on mid-range jumpers and runs the floor well.

The overall strength of his game was on display in the Wildcats’ victory over Notre Dame in the Elite Eight when Towns scored a career-high 25 points, going 10-of-13 shooting. All told, he racked up eight double-doubles on the season and shot 56.6 percent from the field.

Making him even more dangerous, especially for a big man, he is solid at the stripe as well, sinking 81.3 percent of his attempts at the free-throw line last season for the Wildcats.

In utilizing his size, Towns is a good defender who covers plenty of real estate. He owns position in the post and he can defend the rim. His length and strength should make him an effective rebounder, as well as a feared shot-blocker in the NBA.

The Timberwolves are in a rebuilding mode, having also traded for last year’s No. 1 overall selection, Andrew Wiggins, who went on to earn NBA Rookie of the Year honors. They also have reigning NBA Slam Dunk champion Zach LaVine and acquired Duke guard Tyus Jones this year after packaging their No. 31 and No. 36 picks and sending them to the Cleveland Cavaliers.

With an abundance of young talent, the Timberwolves have tremendous upside. It may take a few years for head coach Flip Saunders to get his youthful team playing together with the chemistry needed to compete at the top tier of the NBA, but if Towns, Wiggins and company live up to the hype, it could be special.

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