Karl-Anthony Towns joins LeBron James as only teenagers to go 28-14
Two games into his blossoming NBA career, first overall pick Karl-Anthony Towns could already be the best player on the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Still 15 days away from his 20th birthday, Towns became just the second teenager ever to match a box score line of 28 points and 14 rebounds on Friday. The other? LeBron James, who accomplished the feat in the 17th game of his career.
Towns scored 28 points, grabbed 14 rebounds, and recorded four blocks on 11-of-19 shooting from the field in the Timberwolves' 95-78 win over the Denver Nuggets.
That came on the heels of a 14-point, 12-rebound performance in Towns' debut on Wednesday, which makes him youngest player ever to start his career with two double-doubles.
Towns' entire arsenal was on display Friday as he showed the type of two-way presence that earned him the first overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft. He had his way in the post, the jumper from 20-feet out was smooth, he skied for rebounds, and he did a tremendous job of protecting the paint.
However, despite his impressive home debut, don't expect Towns to consistently put up 19 shots. That's not his game, as he explained to Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune.
"That's the most shots I’ve taken since, like, two games in high school," Towns said. "I just want to utilize my quickness. I'm only going to be young for so long."
Towns simply took the profit where he could by leveraging his quickness with his deadly mid-range jumpshot - something he learned from wily veteran Kevin Garnett.
“You know what, I think a lot of my points today came off one dribble going to the basket," Towns said. "With them being 6-foot-9 and lighter and me being 7-foot, that's not supposed to happen. I was just seeing openings. I was utilizing the little things KG taught me about getting to the basket, and it really worked."
For the record, Garnett (who will go down as the best player in Timberwolves history) didn't match a line of 28 points, 14 rebounds, and four blocks until his sixth season.
Towns' stellar effort helped the Timberwolves to a record of 2-0. That may not sound like an achievement, but it took them until February to win consecutive games last season.