Karl-Anthony Towns should be the frontrunner to win rookie of the year this season, and he has by far been the Minnesota Timberwolves‘ biggest pleasant surprise. The death of Flip Saunders cast a sad light over the 2015-16 campaign for Minnesota, but his memory will be deservedly honored by every positive story that happens for this franchise in the next few years.
Saunders put together a squad that should have success for a long time to come once their young players enter their prime, and Kevin Garnett has proven to be a great mentor to Towns. Karl-Anthony is averaging 15.5 points, 9.5 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game, and the only other competition to take top rookie honors is Jahlil Okafor who plays for the dreadful Philadelphia 76ers. It doesn’t seem likely that voters will reward the tanking project out in Philly, and Towns should be considered the favorite as a result.
Minnesota has been waiting for a team that they can be proud ever since Garnett left town the first time, and they now have it. Towns is at the heart of this, because he is the ideal big man for the new NBA. He can shoot the ball from 3-point range and guard multiple defenders in the pick-and-roll game. His game will only continue improving over the next few years, and he will be a scary player to face once his basketball IQ catches up to his considerable athletic abilities. Nobody was quite sure of how good he was in college due to his limited minutes on a loaded Kentucky Wildcats team, but the national media has finally realized what kind of player they get to cover in the coming decade.
The Timberwolves won’t make the playoffs this season, but they are set up quite nicely for the future. Andrew Wiggins and Towns are both a large part of that, and if the team can find a point guard who can shoot the ball then they will be in good shape next year.
