If Towns has time to return before the end of the regular season, he will greatly improve the offensive production of the frontcourt; after all, before his injury, even if the combination with RRudy Gobert is not smooth, the Timberwolves still have destructive power on the offensive end; on the contrary, if Towns is too late With the comeback, the season of the Great Northern Wilderness may come to an end earlier than expected…
Since the 2019-20 season, the ace center Karl-Anthony Towns of the Minnesota Timberwolves has only attended 54.6%, 69.4%, 90.2% and 33.3% of the Timberwolves’ games in each of the following seasons.
Guess which of the four years the Wolves made the playoffs?
Towns has already become an indispensable core of the Gray Wolves’ offense. He can fight bloody and fight in and out of the harsh penalty areas; There is a clear gap in form or state, which is not good news for the pre-season Wolves.
Having said that, it is still an indisputable fact that KAT is one of the most talented long men in the NBA. His versatility and importance on the offensive end often require two opposing defenders to stop him, at least in the absence of Towns due to injury, a level we haven’t seen from other players.
If Towns has time to return before the end of the regular season, he will greatly improve the offensive production capacity of the frontcourt; after all, before his injury, even if the combination with Rudy Gobert is not smooth, the Timberwolves still have destructive power on the offensive end; on the contrary, if Towns is too late With a comeback, the season of the Great Northern Wilderness may come to an end earlier than expected.
It’s been a while since KAT has been sidelined with an injury, so we’ll take a look back at the 21 games he’s played this season, the offensive versatility he’s shown, and what he could do for the Timberwolves if he returns. At what level does it help:
low singles
Here’s a look at Towns’ post-ups this season, where he’s so disruptive that opponents often have to call in a second defender to double-team him:
Generally speaking, the Timberwolves’ offense starts with Towns’ low post, forcing opponents into a dilemma from the beginning: double-team? Still not double-teaming? If you respond aggressively, a single pass can give you a big open opportunity.
According to Synergy’s advanced data, Minnesota can score an average of 1.4 points every time they play this offensive mode-this is an ultra-high level of PR 94 in the league; On defense, Towns averaged 1.2 points per low post single, with an average PR of 87.
In addition, whether it is between offensive and defensive transitions; or relying on feints to feed him the ball, the Timberwolves are very good at allowing him to receive passes, and then whether it is off-ball cuts, fixed-point three-pointers, or Dislocation attacking the basket leaves only the difference in scoring methods, all of which can achieve the goal of scoring. What the gray wolf lacks now is this kind of goal that attracts defense.
jumper hook shot
Should jumper hook shots be considered “bad shot selection”? Even though KAT sometimes plays too disorganized and let his rhythm run away, but relying on his innate skills, it is hard to think that his shots will not be successful-at least he is really efficient sometimes . How long has it been since Kentucky since he showed such a good hook shot?
The initial action was exactly the same as his posture behind the back frame preparing to pass, but just when the opponent let down his guard and prepared to rotate back, he suddenly adopted an offensive mode. Draymond Green, Bobby Portis and other smaller inside defenders can only look at the ball and sigh.
There is no one in the current Timberwolves who can make a difficult shot like Towns, let alone switch from the cut to the perimeter and immediately switch to the “bulldozer style” multi-player style of back-frame rolling. Reid is a cutting player, and Rudy Gobert can only eat cakes; if Towns returns, his offensive talents will add more weapons to the Timberwolves’ game.
mid-range shot
How many 7-footers in the league have this kind of fluency with their jump shots?
The huge destructive power of KAT’s pressure on the basket opens up more options for offensive singles. Relying on step-back to create shooting space is generally a good thing for guards. In the Gray Wolf, only Anthony Edwards can use this trick at the end of the game; however, Towns is not an ordinary player. Achievements, but a high level of 12 of 18 shots.
Most of these super-level shooting percentages will only appear on a small sample size, but at least Towns’ skill set complements one of the most lacking offensive weapons in the Timberwolves. assist gap.
The Timberwolves traded for Mike Conley in the middle of the season in order to find the instruction manual for the biggest investment before the season started (Gobert). If they can secure a playoff berth by April, the Timberwolves may be better off than you think when Towns returns.
[Contributing Editor Xu Lizhe/Responsible Editor Xie Yiqian]
This article is compiled for reference:Three Ways Karl-Anthony Towns’ Return Can Fix the Wolves’ Offense
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