Karl-Anthony Towns has had a very solid career for a former No. 1 overall pick, winning Rookie of the Year, making three All-Star teams, a pair of All-NBA third teams in his eight seasons in the league thus far.
However, Towns has never been able to get the Timberwolves beyond the first round of the playoffs — where he’s made three appearances — and as the center position sees a renaissance of sorts with Nikola Jokic and Joel Embiid winning the last three MVP awards, Towns has faded to the periphery when it comes to discussions about the league’s very best big men. Well, at least that’s the case for most people.
On Wednesday, Patrick Beverley had Towns on his podcast and called him the best center in the league, which is a wild take on its own after Jokic just dominated the playoffs en route to a title, beating Towns along the way — and, secondarily, Towns now plays power forward next to Rudy Gobert, which is a whole other conversation. Later, Towns decided to puff his chest out a bit and proclaimed that when he’s done playing, people will say he “changed the game.”
“When my time is up and I retire… there’s gonna be people who are gonna say that I changed the game.” – Karl-Anthony Towns
Where would you rank KAT right now amongst the best players in the NBA?
(via @PatBevPod)pic.twitter.com/zUhoiKdhJ4
— Action Network (@ActionNetworkHQ) June 14, 2023
That quote gained some traction on Twitter, raising plenty of eyebrows, as Towns certainly has a unique skillset as a big man who is incredibly efficient at shooting three-pointers, but few would consider him a game-changer in the way of, say, even a Jokic. Among those to be taken aback by Towns’ comment was Draymond Green, who posited that Towns just meant going on Patrick Beverley’s podcast was changing the game.
aye @patbev21 when people come on yo show they change the game!!l?!? 🤯🤯🤯 I’m looking forward to it man https://t.co/qZGomrFBfH
— Draymond Green (@Money23Green) June 14, 2023
Draymond hasn’t shied away from calling Towns out in the past, whether that be when Towns said Russell Westbrook chases stats or when Green said Towns needed to stop trying to trash talk and “just be yourself.” Towns, for all his many talents, has not made such an impact on the league in his eight years that you’d hear many speak of him as someone with a legacy that figures to extend for generations. There’s still time for him to do that, but there needs to be another considerable leap before that happens. Until then, Big Purr will end up on the wrongside of punchlines from Green and others.
