Karl-Anthony Towns has a new role to contend with this coming season, albeit one that has caused excitement. The arrival of Rudy Gobert means that the big man, who has traditionally played center, will have to spend quite a bit of time playing outside the paint. Offensively, this isn’t much of a problem. KAT is an excellent shooter for a big man, and his belief in his abilities is perhaps even greater than the abilities themselves.
KAT is a unicorn in many ways on offense, there are very few things he can’t do. But it’s the defensive end where this new role is expected to be a bit of an issue. Karl-Anthony Towns has never been a stellar defender even inside the paint, but his agility and size allow him to compete in that area. But when Gobert is also on the floor, the paint is his domain, meaning KAT has to guard players on the perimeter.
And in their first run at it in pre-season, things didn’t go so well. Towns struggled on the perimeter and looked more than a little lost. So much so that clips of his failures went viral on social media.
KAT defending on the perimeter has disaster potential imo pic.twitter.com/CHiXhfXTBQ
— Low (@owlow_) October 15, 2022
The clip clearly shows him struggling to stay with the player and understand the switches, at one point falling deep inside the three-point line and giving up an uncontested three. The signs are troubling, but Towns believes there’s more to it than a few clips, which isn’t wrong either.
Karl-Anthony Towns Hits Back After Clips Of Him Struggling To Guard Went Viral On Social Media
The one good thing about players all having social media is that they have a voice of their own in a lot of situations that they previously didn’t. And KAT isn’t one to let the slander grow too much without doing something about it, he posted a short warning to those who might see the clips and start worrying about the situation.
Don’t let Twitter fool ya.
— Karl-Anthony Towns (@KarlTowns) October 15, 2022
“Don’t let Twitter fool ya.”
Social media always exaggerates any situation greatly, so it’s not bad advice from the Timberwolves star. But KAT will know that he will have to improve if his team legitimately wants to field both him and Gobert on the court in clutch time. Considering that they’ve barely had time to gel, it’s too early to judge what the future of this system might be, but the Timberwolves have some thinking to do before the season begins in a few days.
