Julian AndrewsWeb Editorial AssociateTwitter
Karl-Anthony Towns didn’t have the night he hoped he would in Minnesota’s first
game against the Rockets on Sunday. The Wolves’ talented young center was held
to only eight points on 3-for-9 shooting from the field. He did snag 12 rebounds
and had a monstrous blocked shot in the second half, but this is certainly not
the playoff debut Wolves fans (and Towns himself) were looking for.
In times like this it is important not to panic. Towns has been held to under 10
points only twice this season, and only 12 times in his career. It is very
difficult to contain Towns this well, and Wolves fans should fully expect him to
bounce back. However, the Wolves are not just relying on the hope that Towns
comes out stronger on Wednesday, they’re looking at ways to help him adjust his
game.
“Run the floor, kick the ball out, re-post, keep moving around, search it out,
get to the offensive board,” said coach Tom Thibodeau when asked how Towns can
be more involved. “You got to sprint around. You learn, when teams are
double-teaming you, you have to make the right play, so you have to get to
positions where it’s difficult for them to double team. Transition’s a big part
of that and you’ve got to run the floor.”
He also talked about how Towns can do better at exploiting double-teams.
“It’s not a one-on-one game,” said Thibodeau. “If they’re going to double team
that means it’s going to be easier for other people, and if they’re going to
switch you have to make the right read. So, if we’re making the right plays the
game will tell you who’s going to get the shots, and if we take good shots we’re
going to score.”
Towns will certainly have to be more aggressive exploiting matchups against
smaller players. The Rockets switch a lot on defense, so he’ll get more of those
opportunities:
More of this, Karl! So dominant against smaller players in the post.
pic.twitter.com/o8D9l0Q3ZE
After the game Towns acknowledged he needs to play better on both sides of the
ball and credited his teammates for making shots. But for Towns to be a
franchise cornerstone, he needs to show up in big moments. Luckily for the young
star, he has many more opportunities to make this game a blip on the radar.
Towns’ coaches and teammates have his back, and they’ll certainly help him get
more quality looks in Game 2.
Player: Karl-Anthony Towns
Media Content:
http://www.nba.com/timberwolves/news/karl-anthony-towns-looking-bounce-back-game-
two
Media Keywords: NBA, Sports, Minnesota Timberwolves, Karl-Anthony Towns, Tom
Thibodeau, Minnesota Timberwolves
Media Thumbnail:
http://www.nba.com/timberwolves/sites/timberwolves/files/defense2_0.jpg
Taxonomy: 2018 Western Conference Playoffs
Story Link:
http://www.nba.com/timberwolves/news/karl-anthony-towns-looking-bounce-back-game-
two
