Scouting Report: Karl-Anthony Towns

Karl-Anthony Towns is a power forward/center for the University of Kentucky. Towns is 7’0 with a wingspan of 7’4. For the year, Towns averaged 21.1 minutes per game, 10.3 points per game, 6.7 rebounds per game, 1.1 assists per game, 2.3 blocks per game, while shooting 56.6% from the field, and 25% from three.

Pros: 

• Good basketball IQ
• Good passer
• Good court vision
• Great shooting touch
• Good mid-range game
• Excellent shot blocker
• Great rebounder
• Strong body
• Hard worker
• Very competitive
• Good conditioning

Cons:

• Not a great jumper
• Foul prone
• Inability to make quick moves
• Needs to work on adding lower body strength

Overall:

Towns is destined to be a top two pick in the up and coming 2015 NBA draft. On the offensive side of the ball, Towns is consistent threat to sink mid-range jumpers. His low post game is in needing of work. With that being said, Towns does possess the ability to be a force in the paint with work on his footwork and adding lower body strength that will allow for him to not get bullied in the paint let he sometimes does now. For his passing ability, Towns has great court vision and never panics when he has the ball and has the ability to pass out of double teams with ease. Towns is a great rebounder using his length and strength to gain position to grab almost anything that comes near him. Defensively, Towns is an elite shot blocker. For not being the best leaper, Towns shows great instincts and timing, which allow for this elite skill that teams covet. Towns is known to get into foul trouble fairly easily, and without knowing if this was in part due to Kentucky’s platoon system allowing for him to play more aggressive, or if he just does not know how to use his body yet, without knowing which of the two options it was it is hard to say whether this will carry over to the next level. Overall, Towns blended in with the rest of the Kentucky team early on, but as the season progressed, Towns became an absolute nightmare match-up for teams to prepare for. Towns became the dominating force that everyone was expecting him to be from the beginning. Some say this long process of becoming the star he was due to him being a humble, team first player causing for him to defer to teammates and not taking action into his own hands. If this is the case, expect Towns to take awhile his rookie year to make a difference. With most experts projecting him to go to the Timberwolves with the number one pick, and the plethora of young talent that they already have, Towns may yet again get lost in the fold of talent, but once the time comes and he receives a stable amount of playing time, Towns should be a solid two-way star making consistent All-Star appearances.

Pro Comparison:

Andrew Bogut

Although Towns is not the consensus number one pick like Bogut was, they do share quite the same attributes. On the offensive side of the ball, Towns and Bogut both share great court vision and passing ability. Both share a knack for having the ability to pass out of double or triple teams. Shooting wise, both Bogut and Towns have the ability to shoot mid-range jumpers and sink them. Although as of late, Bogut does not spend much time outside the paint for shooting purposes. On a mental side of the game both players play at high intensity levels and are humble, team first players. Rebounding, there was not many who could contend with Bogut on the glass when he came out of college. He possessed such great fundamentals that he dominated the glass. Towns is not quite the level that Bogut is as a rebounder, but has the ability to be equally as dominate on the glass. Defensively, both players are good one-on-one defenders. Neither fear or are intimidated by their opponents. Both use their gargantuan wingspans to swat anything that is within reach. Bogut does possess better lower body strength coming out of school but with an off season of weight lifting, Towns should be able to duplicate Bogut’s body strength. Bogut is not your best free throw shooter, while Towns is a good, consistent free throw shooter. In almost every debate for who is the best defensive center in the league Bogut is usually one of the most consistent for being at the top of the voting. Towns possess a great number of similar attributes to that of Bogut, and with a higher offensive ceiling, Towns can be a star in the league, much like Bogut was suppose to be.

By: Mac Crowe, @Mac_Truck17