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Sleeping giant: The Timberwolves need to coax more out of Towns

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Warning: Story contains coarse language

"KAT just has that look in his face like he doesn't want to play tonight ... so be it."

That's how Timberwolves TV analyst Jim Petersen described Karl-Anthony Towns' demeanor after the star big man air-balled a third-quarter 3-pointer with Minnesota down four in Toronto Wednesday night.

Towns immediately asked to come out of the game, serving as a fitting summary of his disappointing start to the season. (He did tell reporters postgame he saw Gorgui Dieng already preparing to check in, but replays show Dieng only removing his warmups after Towns' apparent request to exit.)

With the ink still drying on Towns' five-year contract extension - which could be worth up to $190 million and doesn't kick in until next season - figuring out who to blame for his lethargic opening week won't produce on-court results unless all parties involved come to the understanding the Timberwolves need more from their franchise cornerstone. Tom Thibodeau should be force-feeding him the ball, and Towns should be demanding it.

The 22-year-old's defensive shortcomings have been well documented, but Towns is among a select few who possess an offensive ability so transcendent, it nearly renders any defensive concerns moot. He's a 7-footer who can shoot and score from anywhere with breathtaking efficiency.

When a star's on-court value is entirely tied to the offensive end, teams invested in such stars should be milking every drop of that offense to maximize said value. Think of James Harden's ball-dominance in Houston or Nikola Jokic's point-center role in Denver. Towns is nowhere near that level of passer, but the more the ball is in his hands as opposed to say Andrew Wiggins or Derrick Rose, the better.

The Wolves have yet to figure this out.

Bart Young / National Basketball Association / Getty

After finishing fifth on the team in usage rate last year, Towns ranks fourth among Timberwolves players in usage (21.7 percent) and field-goal attempts per game (12.2) through five games this season, behind Wiggins, Rose, and Jimmy Butler.

To put that in perspective, Pacers big man Domantas Sabonis and Grizzlies rookie Jaren Jackson Jr. are using a greater percentage of their teams' possessions when they're on the court than Towns is using in Minnesota.

Star centers USG% FGA/game TS%
Joel Embiid 31.7 21.0 58.3
Andre Drummond 29.7 17.8 48.0
Anthony Davis 28.2 18.0 66.0
Nikola Jokic 24.6 12.3 72.7
Karl-Anthony Towns 21.7 12.2 58.0

"He'll be fine, he's a scorer. He'll get to his spots and take shots," Thibodeau told theScore after Wednesday's loss in Toronto, which dropped the dysfunctional Timberwolves to 2-3.

Does Towns need to be more aggressive?

"He had (a team-high) 17 shots," Thibodeau responded.

With Wiggins out of the lineup, Towns did shoot more than any of his teammates, but box scores can be deceiving. Six of those 17 attempts came in the game's final seven minutes with the Raptors already comfortably ahead, two came off offensive rebounds, and Towns still finished behind Josh Okogie in terms of usage.

Even on a night when he shot 5-of-17, that simply can't happen, and Butler seems to agree.

"I think we all do (try to get Towns going), which is a good thing, and sometimes a bad thing." Butler said. "We want him to be as aggressive as possible. I don't think any shot that he shoots is a bad shot. We want him to shoot the ball when he's open, be aggressive, that's what we have him on the team for."

When asked how trying to get Towns going can sometimes be a bad thing, Butler said it can lead to the team forcing things offensively, rather than taking what the game is giving them. "I think that's the sign of a good teammate, though," Butler added. "We want KAT to be successful. We want him to be aggressive. He's featured in a lot of things in this offense. We'll continue to do that. Bad shooting night? The next game that he comes back, shit, he could have 50."

He's going to need a lot more than 17 shots to do that, and even assuming Towns' attempts and usage trend upward upon Butler's inevitable departure, chances are he'll be splitting what Jimmy leaves behind with Wiggins, and maybe even Rose.

2015/16-2018/19 USG% FGA/game TS%
Wiggins 26.5 16.9 52.8
Towns 25.0 15.4 61.8
Since Rose joined MIN USG% TS%
Rose 24.1 48.6
Wiggins 23.4 50.6
Towns 22.8 64.3

For his part, Towns spoke diplomatically after the team's latest loss.

"It's not about offense. It's not about stats. I think too many people get caught up in the stats and trying to get 30 (points), 30, 30, 40, and that doesn't equate to winning. Whatever I have to do to win the game, I have to do. If that requires me getting nine points, but finding a way to get four or five blocks, control the paint, get a steal, then that's what I'm going to do," Towns told theScore.

Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports / Action Images

"I've had a lot of games where I've been fortunate and blessed enough to have high-scoring games, great stats, stats out of this world, and come out with loss. People that know me know the frustration that goes into me when I see a loss. Even with the stats, it doesn't matter. A loss is a loss. Like I said, it's about winning. It's not about the statistical achievements. For whoever my fantasy owner is, I really could (not) care less. I'm just worried about this team, and worried about the guys in this locker room. I want to make sure I can be the best for them, and when they ask me to do something to win, I'll make sure I do it."

What Towns, Thibs, and the Timberwolves don't seem to be grasping is that the best thing for the Timberwolves is more Towns. More touches. More shots. More life, more everything.

It's evident that Minnesota's only proven max-level star - Butler - is already orchestrating his exit; Wiggins has produced scant evidence to suggest he can live up to the value of his max contract. Towns' ability to provide surplus value on his new deal is the only light at the end of a dark tunnel. But short of emerging as an overnight defensive revelation, Towns' only hope of optimizing that value is if he and the team go all-in on the potential of his offensive impact.

They're not doing that right now. Not even close.

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