Karl Anthony Towns

[apollotsg [enjin:6592798]]

The biggest problem i see with KAT on defense is he's not a center.

LOL - if it were 2000 I would agree

[Coolbreeze44]

What are KAT's on/off ratings?

O-rating while on the court is 112.3, but only 103.4 when off the court.

D-rating is 108 while on the court and 108 while off the court. Neither are good.

His overall net On/Off rating therefore is +8.9.

Dieng has been a massive disappointment in that he hasn't impacted games the way I thought he could as a backup Center. You would hope that at least his Drtg would be better, but then again he's played a lot with Crawford and Shabazz, so the perimeter defense puts him in a lot of bad situations. That helps prop up KAT's On/Off numbers.

Thank You. I was just thinking what we would look like if we had to play without KAT for an extended period. I don't think it would be pretty.

[Q12543 [enjin:6621299]]

Drew,

#1 - Judgement, specifically as it relates to knowing when to leave his feet to challenge shots versus keeping a solid base on the ground and preparing to get the rebound. I often see him unnecessarily challenge shots where he is way late on it or it's already well defended. This leaves his man available for a really easy ally oop or putback off a miss.

#1B - Understanding the principle of verticality by using his natural length to bother shots without necessarily blocking them or fouling. This sort of goes hand in hand with #1. It also requires him to stay square with offensive player. He often finds himself twisted into a pretzel and way out of position to do anything.

#2 - Lower body/core strength. I'm not sure there is much he can do here, but he is easily moved out of the paint and doesn't hold his ground against stronger Centers. It's the exact same issue Dieng has. And by the looks of Patton in the G-League, he's no different. This is why we often see Taj guard some of these bigger Centers. He's a lot shorter, but has a strong base.

I would add in stop crashing the dam glass - his O rebounding is bad and he does this so often which leads sprinting more often and way out of position (playing into LST issue). He does this constantly so I am not sure this is coached or if he just does it.

Good point. His chasing of O-boards is often what leads to easy transition buckets for the opposition.

But this gets back to the overall team offense filled with guys that prefer to get into the paint versus spacing out. We often find ourselves back on our heels in transition because we have three or four guys in the paint or along our own baseline at the end of possessions.

[apollotsg [enjin:6592798]]

.

Good point. His chasing of O-boards is often what leads to easy transition buckets for the opposition.

But this gets back to the overall team offense filled with guys that prefer to get into the paint versus spacing out. We often find ourselves back on our heels in transition because we have three or four guys in the paint or along our own baseline at the end of possessions.

Yeah, I wish he would rotate out more often, you would think he knows what is coming and adjust. Bazz was the worst at this - I dont see 3 guys crashing much anymore.

[Q12543 [enjin:6621299]]

What are KAT's on/off ratings?

O-rating while on the court is 112.3, but only 103.4 when off the court.

D-rating is 108 while on the court and 108 while off the court. Neither are good.

His overall net On/Off rating therefore is +8.9.

Dieng has been a massive disappointment in that he hasn't impacted games the way I thought he could as a backup Center. You would hope that at least his Drtg would be better, but then again he's played a lot with Crawford and Shabazz, so the perimeter defense puts him in a lot of bad situations. That helps prop up KAT's On/Off numbers.

Thank You. I was just thinking what we would look like if we had to play without KAT for an extended period. I don't think it would be pretty.

Agreed. We'd struggle offensively. There is no comparison between him and Dieng as Centers. I think the real debate is how would we look with a guy like, say, Steven Adams as our starting Center instead of KAT. Certainly not as good offensively, but how much better on D and would that make up for the offensive shortfall (we'd be really reliant on Wiggins and Butler for our shots)? Probably not.

The other thing about KAT is he goes well with both our wings, neither of whom are lights out shooters. So he opens up space by being a 40% 3-point threat and dragging a big outside with him. He's just a hard guy to replace offensively and we just have to hope he gets better defensively.

[BizarroJerry [enjin:6592520]]

A KAT or Butler injury would crush this team. I think someone else said we'd be a 25 win team without either of those guys and I agree. I never thought Kat would be a 40% on 3s. That's very impressive for a big not named Dirk or Durant.

[SameOldNudityDrew]

Drew,

#1 - Judgement, specifically as it relates to knowing when to leave his feet to challenge shots versus keeping a solid base on the ground and preparing to get the rebound. I often see him unnecessarily challenge shots where he is way late on it or it's already well defended. This leaves his man available for a really easy ally oop or putback off a miss.

#1B - Understanding the principle of verticality by using his natural length to bother shots without necessarily blocking them or fouling. This sort of goes hand in hand with #1. It also requires him to stay square with offensive player. He often finds himself twisted into a pretzel and way out of position to do anything.

#2 - Lower body/core strength. I'm not sure there is much he can do here, but he is easily moved out of the paint and doesn't hold his ground against stronger Centers. It's the exact same issue Dieng has. And by the looks of Patton in the G-League, he's no different. This is why we often see Taj guard some of these bigger Centers. He's a lot shorter, but has a strong base.

I would add in stop crashing the dam glass - his O rebounding is bad and he does this so often which leads sprinting more often and way out of position (playing into LST issue). He does this constantly so I am not sure this is coached or if he just does it.

Good point. His chasing of O-boards is often what leads to easy transition buckets for the opposition.

But this gets back to the overall team offense filled with guys that prefer to get into the paint versus spacing out. We often find ourselves back on our heels in transition because we have three or four guys in the paint or along our own baseline at the end of possessions.

Good points guys. That's about what I was thinking actually. Here's how I'd prioritize his biggest defensive needs.

1. Get back on D quicker. This is tied to the O-boards you guys mentioned. Part of it is also just about awareness and habits. He needs to recognize and anticipate when the change of possession is inevitable and jump back on D much more quickly. It's about quick recognition skills. His length would help us cut down on fast breaks and easy buckets. This should be a quick way to make an impact.

2. Establish good defensive posture and position early. He needs squat down and get into a stance early enough to deny his opponent position and the ball. Too often, he looks like he's just half walking around out there, so he gets pushed around so easily. It is partly about his weak base, as you guys mention. He can make up for that a lot more with a better defensive stance and assertive positioning and mentally make a shift toward defending with his body and his feet much more. This may take him some time to develop as a set of habits and skills, but these might make the most significant impact overall.

3. I also totally agree with Q's 1A and 1B. He needs to stay on his feet more instead of biting on shot motions. And at the same time, I'd love to see him get quicker recognizing the need for weak side help and then sliding over in time without leaving his feet quite as much as he does. He needs to play like he recognizes that getting blocks does not necessarily mean playing good D.

4. Get more vocal on D. This is a team issue, but on the backline defense, it's definitely important for Towns to be calling out picks and communicating effectively.

[Lipoli390]

What are KAT's on/off ratings?

O-rating while on the court is 112.3, but only 103.4 when off the court.

D-rating is 108 while on the court and 108 while off the court. Neither are good.

His overall net On/Off rating therefore is +8.9.

Dieng has been a massive disappointment in that he hasn't impacted games the way I thought he could as a backup Center. You would hope that at least his Drtg would be better, but then again he's played a lot with Crawford and Shabazz, so the perimeter defense puts him in a lot of bad situations. That helps prop up KAT's On/Off numbers.

Thank You. I was just thinking what we would look like if we had to play without KAT for an extended period. I don't think it would be pretty.

As usual, Cool, you get it. The point of my comparing KAT's number to the the rest of our team was to illustrate as objectively as possible his relative contribution and hence his vital importance to the team. Does he need to improve defensively? Of course. And I have no doubt he can because his defensive deficiencies are primarily the product of still youthful mental mistakes like leaving his feet too often.

[Lipoli390]

Drew,

#1 - Judgement, specifically as it relates to knowing when to leave his feet to challenge shots versus keeping a solid base on the ground and preparing to get the rebound. I often see him unnecessarily challenge shots where he is way late on it or it's already well defended. This leaves his man available for a really easy ally oop or putback off a miss.

#1B - Understanding the principle of verticality by using his natural length to bother shots without necessarily blocking them or fouling. This sort of goes hand in hand with #1. It also requires him to stay square with offensive player. He often finds himself twisted into a pretzel and way out of position to do anything.

#2 - Lower body/core strength. I'm not sure there is much he can do here, but he is easily moved out of the paint and doesn't hold his ground against stronger Centers. It's the exact same issue Dieng has. And by the looks of Patton in the G-League, he's no different. This is why we often see Taj guard some of these bigger Centers. He's a lot shorter, but has a strong base.

I would add in stop crashing the dam glass - his O rebounding is bad and he does this so often which leads sprinting more often and way out of position (playing into LST issue). He does this constantly so I am not sure this is coached or if he just does it.

Good point. His chasing of O-boards is often what leads to easy transition buckets for the opposition.

But this gets back to the overall team offense filled with guys that prefer to get into the paint versus spacing out. We often find ourselves back on our heels in transition because we have three or four guys in the paint or along our own baseline at the end of possessions.

Good points guys. That's about what I was thinking actually. Here's how I'd prioritize his biggest defensive needs.

1. Get back on D quicker. This is tied to the O-boards you guys mentioned. Part of it is also just about awareness and habits. He needs to recognize and anticipate when the change of possession is inevitable and jump back on D much more quickly. It's about quick recognition skills. His length would help us cut down on fast breaks and easy buckets. This should be a quick way to make an impact.

2. Establish good defensive posture and position early. He needs squat down and get into a stance early enough to deny his opponent position and the ball. Too often, he looks like he's just half walking around out there, so he gets pushed around so easily. It is partly about his weak base, as you guys mention. He can make up for that a lot more with a better defensive stance and assertive positioning and mentally make a shift toward defending with his body and his feet much more. This may take him some time to develop as a set of habits and skills, but these might make the most significant impact overall.

3. I also totally agree with Q's 1A and 1B. He needs to stay on his feet more instead of biting on shot motions. And at the same time, I'd love to see him get quicker recognizing the need for weak side help and then sliding over in time without leaving his feet quite as much as he does. He needs to play like he recognizes that getting blocks does not necessarily mean playing good D.

4. Get more vocal on D. This is a team issue, but on the backline defense, it's definitely important for Towns to be calling out picks and communicating effectively.

Great points, Drew. I agree with all of them.

[Wolvesfan21]

When he leaves his feet he's not rebounding either. Wall up and rebound.