Karl-Anthony Towns (Photo : REUTERS)
Karl Anthony Towns could turn out to be a prospect better than initially thought. The Kentucky Wildcats standout, who is projected to be drafted either at no.1 or no.2 pick, showed some of his range during a three-point shooting drill.
Courtesy of ESPN Chad Ford Twitter video, Towns was seen easily knocking down long range shots as if he was just taking it from the free-throw line. Although he just made two of just eight attempts from deep during his stint with the Wildcats, it’s pretty clear that he can become a solid threat behind the rainbow territory.
Sporting News writer Adi Joseph get hooked right away by Towns’ display of three-point accuracy, believing the prospect could turn out to be a traditional and analytics basketball darling because of this particular facet of his game. The NBA scribbler even called Towns a hybrid of LaMarcus Aldridge’ jump shooting efficiency and DeAndre Jordan’s interior brilliance.
"This is no fluke. Towns is going to be an ideal screen-setting center because he can roll to the basket like DeAndre Jordan or pop out for a long jumper like LaMarcus Aldridge — with even more range," Joseph stated.
On the other hand, despite Towns' can't miss skill-sets, the Timberwolves are still leaning towards using their first overall pick for Jahlil Okafor because of the Duke big man's more polished interior game. If this scenario arises, Joseph thinks it would be crazy if the Lakers forego the opportunity of adding an extremely talented big man like Towns.
That's what makes the contrast between Towns and Duke's Jahlil Okafor so fun. On Sporting News' latest NBA mock draft, we have the Timberwolves leaning toward Okafor with the top pick. That makes sense given Timberwolves president Flip Saunders' known inclinations toward the interior game.
