In the modern NBA, shooting is a must and no player embodies that fact more than Karl-Anthony Towns.
Not long ago, it was considered rare for a big to extend beyond the three-point line. Centers played under the rim to catch dunks, score in the post, and grab offensive rebounds.
But KAT is a 6’11” beast who plays both inside and out. In fact, one could argue that Towns is even better from range than he is close to the basket.
This new-age mastery recently led to Towns calling himself the best shooting big of all time.
“I’m the greatest big man shooter of all time. That’s a fact,” Towns said. “You can see the stats. I ain’t got to play like no one else. Everyone trying to find themselves to be the second version of me when I’m the first version. I don’t got to be the second version of someone else. I’m already an original. I don’t have to be a duplicate of someone else.”
While Towns is certainly one of the best shooting bigs in today’s game, tagging himself as the greatest of all time is a bit of a leap. Guys like Dirk Nowitzki, Channing Frye, and Kevin Love all have valid claims to that title.
Speaking of Nowitzki, he did recently respond to KAT’s comment during a mid-game broadcast.
“He’s got the confidence and swag, that’s what you need to make it in this league. Not sure if he’s the greatest of all time already, he’s got a long way to go. But his touch is great and he’s got the full package so… if he keeps playing like this, he’s gonna be up there before his career is over.”
Dirk responds to KAT’s “best shooting big of all time” claim 👀 pic.twitter.com/Rz2CQCJety
— Fadeaway World (@FadeawayWorld) December 22, 2021
Towns, 26, is a 2x All-Star and career 23-point-per-game scorer. Through his NBA tenure so far, he has knocked 698 threes with a 39% efficiency rate.
If he keeps up at that pace, Towns could easily become the best shooting big ever. But he can worry about that later. For now, he still has a lot to prove.
Before he can think about his place in the history books, he has to put his energy towards leading the Timberwolves to success.
