Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins were both named to ESPN’s NBA best 25
under 25 list, landing at 4th and 23rd respectively.
The folks at ESPN are understandably high on the potential of the 22-year-old
Towns, pointing out that he is on track to finish the season shooting over 50
percent from the field, 40 percent from three, and 85 percent from the line. The
only other seven-footer to do this is Dirk Nowitzki in the 2006-07 season.
Towns leads the league in double doubles this year with 55, and is averaging
20.4 points, 12.2 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks per game on the season. The ESPN
article also points out that Towns’ defense has been improving, but still has
room to grow. Clearly, Wolves fans have reason to be optimistic about Town’s NBA
future. Already a dominant offensive player, and given his clear physical
skills, he has a chance to become one of the most dominant two-way players in
the league.
Towns is preceded on ESPN’s list by Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo, Anthony
Davis of the Pelicans, and 76ers phenom Joel Embiid. Of those three, the most
questions remain about Embiid. The 23-year-old has looked like a generational
talent when he has managed to stay on the court, but after being drafted with
the third overall pick in 2014, he has only just played his 82nd game.
It’s up to you to decide if this limited sample size should be viewed as a red
flag, or as an indication that the Embiid’s best is yet to come, but Towns has
been producing at a high level literally since the day he was drafted. The young
Wolves star has never missed an NBA game. Think about that. How many other elite
seven-footers can say the same?
Knock on wood Wolves fans.
Wiggins fell 12 spots on this year’s iteration of the list after being ranked at
No. 11 last year. And to be honest, looking at the list, which includes several
rookies ranked higher than Wiggins, this feels a little unfair. In February,
Wiggins became the sixth-youngest player in league history to score 6,000
points. The only players who managed to do so at a younger age are LeBron James,
Kevin Durant, Carmelo Anthony, Kobe Bryant and Tracy McGrady, and he is the
third option on a team that has been one of the best in the NBA.
Wiggins’ numbers have dipped this year, but they have done so on a team that
added an All-Star wing in Jimmy Butler and a score-first point guard in Jeff
Teague. Wiggins is an elite athlete, and an excellent finisher (71.1 percent
inside three feet!)–a very helpful combination in this league, but with Butler
on the team he has been asked to take more of his shots farther away from the
basket.
While Wiggins has had to adjust his style of play to the new-look Timberwolves,
he has responded, especially on defense, producing his best season yet on that
end of the court. Wiggins’ defensive statistics may not entirely reflect his
improvement there, but coaches and teammates have noticed a distinct difference
from previous seasons.
Now tasked with carrying a large offensive load on a team fighting for position
in a brutal Western Conference playoff race, the 23 year-old Wiggins will have
plenty of opportunities moving forward to prove that he deserves recognition as
one of the league’s most promising young players.
Player: Karl-Anthony Towns
Player: Andrew Wiggins
Media Content:
http://www.nba.com/timberwolves/karl-anthony-towns-and-andrew-wiggins-make-espns-
nba-best-25-under-25
Media Keywords: NBA, Sports, Minnesota Timberwolves, Karl-Anthony Towns, Andrew
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nba-best-25-under-25
