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Karl-Anthony Towns’ progress in post helped him become ‘unstoppable’
When Karl-Anthony arrived at Kentucky he was projected by most to be a future top-5 pick. Standing just a shade under 7′, with an incredible amount of athleticism and the skills of a guard, it would have been
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Derek Bodner, Special for USA TODAY Sports
2:43 a.m. EDT June 20, 2015
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USA Today Sports’ Scott Gleeson compares Karl Anthony Towns and Jahlil Okafor, the two most likely number one overall picks in the NBA Draft
Karl-Anthony Towns likely won’t last beyond the first two picks in the upcoming NBA draft.
(Photo: Brian Spurlock, USA TODAY Sports)
When Karl-Anthony Towns arrived at Kentucky, he was projected by most to be a future top-five pick.
Standing just a little less than 7 feet tall, with an incredible amount of athleticism and the skills of a guard, it would have been virtually impossible for Towns not to be in the cross-hairs of NBA decision-makers.
Yet when you look at the player who is projected by many to be the best prospect in the 2015 NBA draft, you see what is almost a completely different player than the one that arrived in Lexington only eight months ago.
“Karl, if he had his druthers, would have been a two-guard,” Kentucky coach John Calipari said when talking about changing Towns’ playing style. “I forced him. He had no choice. You’re catching that ball four feet (from the hoop) and scoring or you won’t be in the game.
“All of a sudden he became unstoppable late in the year.”
The improvement was drastic.
When the season began, Towns blended in offensively at Kentucky. A key cog for sure, but one of many on an extremely deep Wildcats team. Towns played 18.5 minutes per game in January, scoring a pedestrian 8.1 points per game for the month. He was still projected near the top of the draft — his defense was that good — but it was a classic offense vs. defense debate about whether Jahlil Okafor or Towns should be the first pick in the draft.
As the season went, Towns’ post game — and overall skill level — blossomed before everyone’s eyes. He averaged 12.1 points in February, then followed that up with 12.9 points per game in March. By the time the NCAA tournament came around, Towns was ready to carry the Wildcats when he needed, averaging 14.2 points in the tournament on 62.8% shooting from the field.
That tournament run included a 25-point performance against Notre Dame where Towns went down into the post time and time again against the undersized and undermanned Fighting Irish. It would have been almost unfathomable to picture Towns having the kind of confidence and assertiveness necessary to do that back in November.
Kentucky needed every one of those points, winning a nail-biter 68-66 to keep their dreams of an undefeated season alive, if only for one more game.
That dominance in the post is something that Calipari has been working with Towns on for quite some time. Calipari coached the Dominican national team in 2011 and 2012 where he first took Towns under his wing. It was there that Calipari first got on Towns for his predisposition to float around on the perimeter.
That path, from a big man who wanted to be a two-guard to one of the most dominant low post players in the draft, was in part possible because of the great physical tools that Towns possesses. A much bigger factor in the equation, however, was Towns’ work ethic.
“He works hard,” Calipari said. “He’s one of those guys that you look back and say, ‘Whoever picks him, they’ll never get traded.’ There’s only a few of those in the league. He’ll be one of them.
“He’s the No. 1 pick. He played 24 minutes (per game) and was fine, and cheered on Willie (Cauley-Stein) and did everything he could to get Willie going, and was fine if Aaron (Harrison) took all the shots. He didn’t care. He was a great teammate. Veteran guys understand how you have to be together and how you have to be a great teammate to make it work. Young guys are going into the league just trying to score and get paid. Karl comes in, he is a great teammate.”
Despite Calipari spending the year trying to curb Towns’ propensity to play on the perimeter, his former coach said he believes those perimeter skills will help him in the NBA.
“He has more ball skills than I let him show,” Calipari said. “He can shoot 3s. That’s not going to be who he is, but you’re going to have to guard him in pick-and-pops or if he’s trailing on the break.”
Looking at Towns and the prospect he has become, it almost seems like it should have been a foregone conclusion that he would reach this point. That the debate wouldn’t be offense vs. defense, but that we’d be talking about the most complete player in the draft. He seemingly has too much size, too much skill and too great of a work ethic to not be dominant.
Calipari certainly thought he could this good.
“You have the chance to be the No. 1 pick,” Calipari said he told Towns early in the year. Towns, by contrast, felt like he was an afterthought for the top pick. “You stay the course with this process, I’m telling you, you can do this.”
Turns out, Calipari was right.
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