2. Karl-Anthony Towns, Power Forward/Center
The result for the season so far couldn’t get much worse than it is on the surface for the Minnesota Timberwolves. After ditching that experiment that they tried a while back with “Jimmy G. Buckets” in the Twin Cities, the Timberwolves tried to hit the reset button again and build around star big man Karl-Anthony Towns.
This two-time NBA All-Star selection, one-time All-NBA honoree, and 2015-16 Rookie of the Year award winner, has a very bright future in the league. And he’s starting to develop into one of the most versatile offensive weapons among big men in this day and age. He posted a stellar 64.2 true shooting percentage and 7.8 box plus/minus rating in the season that was in Minnesota.
In just 35 games played this season largely due to lingering injury issues, KAT did show flashes of taking his game to even greater heights. During those 35 games played prior to the hiatus, Towns averaged 26.5 points per game, 10.8 rebounds, 4.4 assists, 0.9 steals, and 1.2 blocks. He shot 50.8 percent from the field, 41.2 percent from beyond the arc, and 79.6 percent from the free-throw line.
A big man of Towns’ ability should be best used elsewhere if the Timberwolves aren’t going to be in the playoff picture anytime soon. It’s hard to say off the bat that the Bulls would get into playoff contention right away if they had KAT in the mix, but it would certainly be potent with him and LaVine in the same starting five (if the Bulls didn’t have to give up the 6-foot-6 shooting guard in a possible trade deal).