For two full seasons, Karl-Anthony Towns, Andrew Wiggins, and Zach LaVine played for the Minnesota Timberwolves. KAT and Wiggins spent even more years together in Minnesota. They even made it to All-Star weekend together in 2016, albeit playing in the Rising Star Challenge.
At the time, LaVine and Wiggins were sophomores, while KAT was a rookie. Towns and LaVine played for the US team, while Wiggins represented the World Team.
And now, following the New York Knicks trading for Towns, none of the former three teammates play for the Timberwolves. KAT is at an interesting crossroads: will he embrace the role Wiggins did, or will he remain the one-dimensional player like LaVine? Let’s take a look at Karl Anthony Towns’ stats and see where he can go from here.
Karl-Anthony Towns Trajectory – Andrew Wiggins or Zach LaVine?
Karl-Anthony Towns Winning a Chip Like Wiggins
Like Wiggins, Karl-Anthony Towns was drafted first overall. And like Wiggins, he never really reached the hype of being the No.1 overall pick. During his tenure with the Wolves as the No.1 guy, KAT led the team to two first-round exists, once in 2018, and again in 2022. For the latter, Anthony Edwards was on the team, but he was just a rookie.
Yet, at the same time, KAT led the team in win shares for seven consecutive seasons, starting from his rookie season up to the 2022-23 season. His highest win shares came during the 2017-18 season, during which he averaged 21.3 points, 12.3 rebounds, 2.4 assists, and 1.4 blocks. He received votes for Most Improved Player, made the All-Star team, and was voted to the All-NBA Third Team.
And while he took a side spot during the last season and allowed Edwards to be the lead guy, KAT will have a completely different experience in New York.
For Towns to win a championship ring, he will have to do what Wiggins did following his trade to the Warriors. With a fresh start, Wiggins shook off the burden of being the No.1 overall pick and became the Swiss army knife player for the Warriors. During the championship run in 2022, Wiggins was the 2nd best player for the Warriors, averaging 17.2 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.2 assists, one steal, and almost a block per game.
What will it take for Towns to get there? In New York, he will play alongside Jalen Brunson, a star who takes all the spotlight and pressure. The challenge is, that if the Knicks do fail to win a title, the pressure will fall on Towns.
In Minnesota, while averaging awesome numbers, his biggest problem was consistency. There were games when he would score 25+ points, and then less than 15 the next one.
The Challenge in New York
The Knicks have a huge hole inside, one that KAT will have to fill. He will have to find a way to be a dominant rebounder, all while spacing the floor with his three-point shooting.
Towns will make $50+ million for each of the three following seasons, and he has a player option at $61 million for a fourth season. That is not a contract you can trade out easily with the new apron rules.
The good news is his three-point shooting continues to be great. Looking at KAT’s numbers, last year, he shot 41% on 5.3 attempts from behind the arc. The bad news? He averaged only 8.3 rebounds. The Knicks lack defensive presence inside, and Towns will have to grab 10+ rebounds to be effective.
Yet, his three-point shooting will be crucial, especially since the Knicks lost their biggest shooter in the trade. Looking at Karl Anthony Towns’ three-point stats, aside from his rookie season, he has never shot lower than 36% from behind the arc. During his 9-year career, he shot better than 40% five times.
Karl-Anthony Towns Following LaVine’s Footsteps
At the moment, Zach LaVine probably has the worst contract in the NBA. He has two more years, plus a player option, earning more than $43 million per year.
While LaVine was an All-Star in 2021 and 2022, his production has gone down from there. And now, he is at the point where the Bulls are desperate to trade him, and no team wants him.
Failing to embrace a team-oriented role in New York might result in a similar situation a year or two down the road.
He will turn 29 years old during the 2024-25 season. While still young and in his prime, once big men turn 30, their production begins to drop.
Looking at the “What If” in Minnesota
Here is a fun thought: what if Minnesota never tried LaVine or Wiggins? What if they kept them together, developed them, and tried to compete with the core that played in the Rising Stars game at the 2016 All-Star weekend?
You have Zach LaVine, a rather clutch guy with the ball in his hands; Towns, the grind-it-out engine for minutes during mid-game; and Wiggins, a defensive specialist who can score when teams focus on the other two stars.
The problem is, they were never coached with that vision in mind. Minnesota tried to put the ball in Wiggins’s hands too much, and they pulled the plug on Zach at the point guard position too soon.
Wiggins thrived in Golden State with lowered responsibilities. He is not a No.1 or No.2 option, and at the time, the Wolves had only that developmental route for him.
The team also had three different coaches in that span, starting with Flip Saunders, then Sam Mitchell, and finally, Tom Thibodeau. Flip’s vision was to build an offensive juggernaut, and then fill out the roster like the Denver Nuggets did. But he didn’t live to see his vision bear fruit.
Towns is the last piece of that team to be traded, and his career can take two routes. He can embrace a team-friendly role and help the Knicks win a championship, or become a too-expensive player like LaVine is.
