KAT

[Lipoli390]

From Brit Robson:

KAT, last 10 games. 54.9/49/92
8.7 rebounds, 3.8 assists.
Wolves are +63 in his 343 minutes on the court
-22 in the 137 minutes he sat.
Has more treys in fewer 3PA than both Ant and Conley.
Wolves are 8-2.

I suppose this shouldn’t be surprising production and success from the only all-star level player on a 46-win Wolves team two seasons ago. Yet, there is little doubt in my mind that KAT is a better player now than he was then. So far this season, while still playing with great passion, KAT is controlling his emotions. He’s substantially reduced his complaining to officials and consistently hustles down the court even after a bad call on the other end. Although KAT had already improved his defense significantly two seasons ago, his defense has improved significantly since then to the point where his defense has been consistently excellent so far this season. He’s still adapting to Rudy, but you can see the progress this season.

KAT’s reputation among local fans and pundits has taken a beating over the past 5 years or so - some deserved and some of it the product of something akin to a mob mentality. But there has been enough substance to the criticism that even those of us who have fended off the irrational criticism of KAT were becoming open to the notion of trading him. KAT is an incredibly gifted and unique big who has been tremendously productive and efficient offensively for years. He’s been bad defensively until two seasons ago, but Jokic has never been a defensive stalwart either and that’s an understatement. So how did KAT’s reputation as a player drop so precipitously over the years in spite of his elite offensive play?

I think the lesson of the decline in KAT’s esteem is the impact of playing for a perennially bad organization over a long period of time. Since KAT was drafted, the Wolves organization has repeatedly changed front office executives and coaching staffs while annually cycling players around KAT in and out of the roster. And each front office has made an array of astoundingly dumb decisions even without the benefit of hindsight. Some examples: Thibs drafted Dunn instead of Murray or Buddy. Thibs traded for Butler who didn’t fit the very young players already on our roster. Having decided to draft Butler, Thibs traded LaVine and other assets rather than accepting the Bulls offer to give up Butler solely for Wiggins. After trading for Butler, Thibs used the lower pick we received to draft Patton instead of Collins or Anunoby. Having traded for Wiggins, Thibs refused to give Butler the contract he wanted to keep him here, which resulted in Butler acting out and forcing the Wolves to trade Butler at a discount. Rosas traded up for Culver. The list goes on. Overall the Wolves stayed far too long with Wiggins. Meanwhile players cycled in and out around KAT who had another all-star level player on the court with him in only two of his seasons to date before now - Butler back in the 2017-18 season, and Edwards last season when KAT was hurt.

Moreover, until now, we never had a front office and coaching staff that insisted on accountability across the board from everyone. As Cool has said many times, culture matters. We now get to see KAT playing for an organization with a culture of accountability and with a high level roster that includes another all-star caliber player in Ant along with other talent like Rudy, Conley, etc. We see the result collectively in a Western Conference leading record. And we’re seeing the result individually in the play of Karl Anthony Towns. It’s fun to watch.

[Carlos Danger]

Fans understandably will call things as they see them. When you are the top guy and highest paid, then our expectations are going to be high. The same was true for Rudy last year who had a down year by his own standards and thus resulted in trade talk by some on here. It is what it is. Best way to get fans off your butt is to perform to expectations.

I'm happy to have KAT. But my openness to trade him (or anyone) for the right price is still there. Look at the Gobert trade as a comp. If another team will overwhelm you with an offer - it certainly warrants consideration.

My own personal criticism of KAT has been that he really hasn't improved as a player since coming into the NBA. Based on the metrics I use, his best season was probably his second year (age 21). He averaged 25 points/12 rebounds that year to go along with 5.2 VORP. In the seven years after that, I haven't really noticed any significant improvements in those metrics. And while he's absolutely a very good player, I'm sure many of us were looking for continued growth and improvement towards superstar status. That just hasn't happened.

[thedoper]

I have been a pretty vocal critic of KAT. He is playing great right now. I will feel a bit more convinced if he can keep it together when the stakes are at its highest. He has always shown talent, nice to see him contributing to wins. Come playoff time he cant have any more disappearing acts.

[AbeVigodaLive]

Ha.

At first I thought the entire thing was from Robson... but I kept thinking to myself... he's really cut down on all the random, obtuse words he usually uses to sound smart.

To be fair, I like Robson as a beat writer.

[Q-is-here]

I think there are four things that are known truths about KAT and we have ample evidence to back up:

1. He's a gifted offensive player and three level scorer at very high efficiency levels. Teams must game plan for him.

2. He's prone to foul trouble and sometimes reckless decision making (which can lead to fouls and/or turnovers) which can sometimes limit or negate #1. It's just part of the baggage he brings as an aggressive offensive player and someone that has lost respect of the refs over the years.

3. He's an improved defensive player from 3+ years ago.

4. He will never be the best player on a Finals team, although he could be the best player in any given playoff game.

The bottom line is that we already know what KAT brings to the table. He can't be trusted to be the team's #1 player, but that doesn't mean he can't win a critical game for us. In fact he's already done that multiple times this season in some pretty high stakes match-ups.

As others have said, Ant needs to continue his gradual improvement for us to be true contenders. But we would not have the record we do this season without KAT carrying a big offensive load and holding his own on defense.

[AbeVigodaLive]

I'm not the biggest fan of the guy. But I think he's been unfairly maligned far too often.

I hope he continues something close to this torrid pace... and gets the acclaim he should be receiving, including from those who made so many lazy and inaccurate takes about him.

If nothing else, maybe it adds value to his name in future deals (if necessary).

[Coolbreeze44]

I was dogging him early in the year, but he's upped his performance since then. To me the whole thing comes down to his mental state. If he's sound mentally he's going to be a very effective and efficient player. If he lets the refs get to him he can be a drag on the entire team. For now he's contributing at a high level and we wouldn't be 15-4 without him.

[Wolvesfan21]

KAT is not being as much of a crybaby little bitch either. If we as fans are sick of the whining then the officials REALLY have to be. I wouldn't call fouls for him just because of it. You should be smarter when pandering for calls and be selective. Then they might just listen. He does have a point many times but I really do think if he didn't bitch so much they would call more calls for him.

[Monster]

I really like how Towns is playing on both ends. He looks locked in. There are still some areas of his game I just love with but they haven’t gone away.

As for his complaining about calls I think it’s just as frequent as it has ever been he just throws up his hands on complaint maybe says something but moves on. He gets back intro he play much faster on the other end regardless of whether he thought there was a foul or not which helps the team and defense. If Towns would just play like this he would probably get some love from the officials. I will say that on offensive fouls he is much more likely to just run the other way and accept the call which is good.

[TAFKASP]

He does have a point many times but I really do think if he didn't bitch so much they would call more calls for him.

It shouldn't matter. The refs job is to call fouls as they occur, there is no place for refs to inject personal opinions into the game.