KAT is a major disap....I mean, success!

[Q12543 [enjin:6621299]]

It was around this time last year that a certain padre initiated the infamous thread on Andrew Wiggins being a major disappointment. Soon thereafter, Wiggins turned things around and won ROY.

Unlike Wiggins, I think it's fair to say that there is no disagreement from anyone here: KAT has been a MAJOR success thus far. Go ahead and compare his numbers this year to some Hall of Fame big men rookie years, both past and present:

http://www.basketball-reference.com/play-index/pcm_finder.cgi?request=1&sum=0&y1=2016&p1=townska01&y2=1998&p2=duncati01&y3=1993&p3=onealsh01&y4=1990&p4=robinda01&y5=1985&p5=olajuha01&y6=2013&p6=davisan02

I stuck Anthony Davis in there to get another recent Kentucky grad that joined the NBA at a similar age (most of these other guys had 2 or more years of college ball).

Pretty impressive, huh? He pretty much hangs with everyone despite being less physically mature than a lot of these guys when they came into the League. And look at his shooting percentages - just an incredible combination of big man skills (rebounding, blocks, post game) and shooting touch.

Perhaps not everyone will agree with me on this point, but I think without question he will be our best player within a year or two (hell, he's close to our best player now!) and could eventually go down as one of the top 10-15 C/PFs to ever play the game. Yeah, that's hyperbole, but look how easy he's made it look!

The Wolves cannot screw this up. They have a potentially transcendent talent on their hands and it would be a shame if we wallow in mediocrity because we can't develop the existing talent or fill in the gaps around him.

[Monster]

It's kinda funny that this type of post is actually sorta old news. The Wolves have three guys 20 or under scoring at least 15ppg (ok Zach is just below that but he is playing less than 25mpg off the bench) and this team has a decedent enough record it's not JUST stat stuffing because there are no other options. I would say because of what we have seen from those 3 guys alone this season has been a success so far.

[Coolbreeze44]

He's been so good that I have to admit I've almost taken him for granted. After some games it's like "KAT didn't get 20 & 10, what happened?" I preach patience when it comes to Andrew, I need to remember that Karl is only a rookie. Knock on wood, but for a big guy he doesn't strike me as someone who is going to be injured very much. Seems to be really wiry and durable.

Now I'm going to say something really crazy. But I honestly believe that for short stretches, he could man the point. His ball handling for a big guy is the best I've ever seen. He can pass. He's smart. He's competitive. Other than bulk, I really don't know what else we could ask for.

[Monster]

He's been so good that I have to admit I've almost taken him for granted. After some games it's like "KAT didn't get 20 & 10, what happened?" I preach patience when it comes to Andrew, I need to remember that Karl is only a rookie. Knock on wood, but for a big guy he doesn't strike me as someone who is going to be injured very much. Seems to be really wiry and durable.

Now I'm going to say something really crazy. But I honestly believe that for short stretches, he could man the point. His ball handling for a big guy is the best I've ever seen. He can pass. He's smart. He's competitive. Other than bulk, I really don't know what else we could ask for.

i'd take KG at that age playing PG over Towns. That's not much of a knock though because I think KG literally could have been an all-star PG. it would have been sort of a weird use of his skills but he could have done it.

[Coolbreeze44]

He's been so good that I have to admit I've almost taken him for granted. After some games it's like "KAT didn't get 20 & 10, what happened?" I preach patience when it comes to Andrew, I need to remember that Karl is only a rookie. Knock on wood, but for a big guy he doesn't strike me as someone who is going to be injured very much. Seems to be really wiry and durable.

Now I'm going to say something really crazy. But I honestly believe that for short stretches, he could man the point. His ball handling for a big guy is the best I've ever seen. He can pass. He's smart. He's competitive. Other than bulk, I really don't know what else we could ask for.

i'd take KG at that age playing PG over Towns. That's not much of a knock though because I think KG literally could have been an all-star PG. it would have been sort of a weird use of his skills but he could have done it.

Really? See, I don't think it's even close. KAT's handle and passing to me far surpasses what KG had. This isn't a knock on KG at all, but KAT has REAL small man skills. KG was just a highly skilled big man IMO.

[Lipoli390]

Q -- I wrote some time ago that Towns will be our best player. I doubt you'll get any disagreement on that. And I agree he's close to being our best player right now. The only player arguably better is Ricky. He's definitely already better than Wiggins based on full skill set and total game contribution.

So your comment won't be controversial on this Board. But I'll make a suggestion that will generate controversy. I'll go out on a limb and suggest that Zach will be our second best player in 2-3 years, provided we have a head coach who stops trying to force him into a role (PG) that's not suited to his abilities. Better than Wiggins? Am I crazy? I may be crazy, but you don't have to be crazy to believe that Zach will eventually be better than Wiggins. What leads me to that conclusion is the fact that Zach has a more extensive skill set than Wiggins - significantly better than Wiggins in the following areas:

1. Much better ball-handler
2. Better passer
3. Better rebounder
4. Better 3-point shooter and better perimeter shooter overall.
5. Better nose for the ball - gets more 50-50 balls. Also reflected in rebounding numbers.

[Monster]

He's been so good that I have to admit I've almost taken him for granted. After some games it's like "KAT didn't get 20 & 10, what happened?" I preach patience when it comes to Andrew, I need to remember that Karl is only a rookie. Knock on wood, but for a big guy he doesn't strike me as someone who is going to be injured very much. Seems to be really wiry and durable.

Now I'm going to say something really crazy. But I honestly believe that for short stretches, he could man the point. His ball handling for a big guy is the best I've ever seen. He can pass. He's smart. He's competitive. Other than bulk, I really don't know what else we could ask for.

i'd take KG at that age playing PG over Towns. That's not much of a knock though because I think KG literally could have been an all-star PG. it would have been sort of a weird use of his skills but he could have done it.

Really? See, I don't think it's even close. KAT's handle and passing to me far surpasses what KG had. This isn't a knock on KG at all, but KAT has REAL small man skills. KG was just a highly skilled big man IMO.

I think I will agree to disagree. I will say this though that Towns may have the best ball handling skills of any true big man with true big an C skills especially when you consider age. When KG was this age he was more of very skilled forward with the length of a Center. Towns is a true center with a lot of guard skills including shooting the ball. I cringe when he goes coast to coast right now but down the road it will be different.

[Coolbreeze44]

Okay Lip, for sake of argument I'll list things that Andrew has over Zach. I'm a big Zach fan too, but for the sake of balance:

1) Better body control
2) Better length
3) Better defender
4) Better post game
5) Gets to the line much easier

[Monster]

Q -- I wrote some time ago that Towns will be our best player. I doubt you'll get any disagreement on that. And I agree he's close to being our best player right now. The only player arguably better is Ricky. He's definitely already better than Wiggins based on full skill set and total game contribution.

So your comment won't be controversial on this Board. But I'll make a suggestion that will generate controversy. I'll go out on a limb and suggest that Zach will be our second best player in 2-3 years, provided we have a head coach who stops trying to force him into a role (PG) that's not suited to his abilities. Better than Wiggins? Am I crazy? I may be crazy, but you don't have to be crazy to believe that Zach will eventually be better than Wiggins. What leads me to that conclusion is the fact that Zach has a more extensive skill set than Wiggins - significantly better than Wiggins in the following areas:

1. Much better ball-handler
2. Better passer
3. Better rebounder
4. Better 3-point shooter and better perimeter shooter overall.
5. Better nose for the ball - gets more 50-50 balls. Also reflected in rebounding numbers.

I agree with Zach possibly being number 2 and I will go even farther and say he could end up being sort of a number 1 guy in somewhat the same way Westbrook is now the best player for the Thunder. Lavine doesn't have the all around game that Westbrook does but he has a more deadly jumper. His intensity on defense has upped the last few games too there is some real upside there. Wiggins/Towns/Lavine is a damn nice core and the Wolves talent doesn't end there. The best part about those 3 is their games compliment each other enough you can see them all being stars and it working. They all seem to want to make plays in big moments and have some successful moments to put on their resumes in that area to make you think they may have some chops for when it matters.

[longstrangetrip [enjin:6600564]]

What a terrific thread...I love arguments about how KAT, Wig and Zach are going to be ranked in a few years. There's no question that something special is going on here. Q's comparative stats are really striking, and I think I heard something yesterday just as astonishing. I think I heard that KAT has the highest PER of ANY 20-year-old in NBA history. Can that be?

Except for injury situations, I can't think of a player this good after 30 games who didn't get better as he learned more about the NBA game. Consider a normal NBA progression when you think about KAT's ceiling. I envision him a little better in all the things he currently does well, but with the addition of a 3-point shot, elite passing, and the dominance that comes with physical maturity. It's an exciting thought.