Rockets vs Timberwolves, Timberwolves star Anthony Towns once again showed the fans his extremely comprehensive offensive ability, playing 33 minutes, 15 of 25, including 4 of 6 three-pointers, slashing 40 points, 9 rebounds and 7 assists, leading the team to a 141:123 defeat, winning four consecutive games. After the victory over the Rockets, the Timberwolves' record this season came to 20-20, ranking eighth in the West.
This season, Towns averaged 34.3 minutes per game, could get 24.5 points, 9.3 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 1 steal, 1.2 blocks, shooting 51.4%, from the data and court performance, this season's Towns is really more mature, not only excellent offensively, defense also ushered in a qualitative improvement, the 26-year-old may really lead the Timberwolves back to the playoffs, and compete with the Western Conference.
Standard modern center, three-point efficiency ushered in a new career high
In the small-ball era, centers who can't shoot three-pointers are not good centers, such as Jokic and Embiid, who are often referred to by fans as the league's top two centers, and have practiced a small number of three-pointers in recent seasons. However, in terms of three-point projection, they still have a big gap with Towns.
Towns, a guard by training, averaged 1.1 three-pointers per game when he first entered the league and had a 34.1 percent three-point shooting percentage in the middle of the league. In the following seasons, his three-point shooting number was never lower than 3, and the shooting rate was very impressive, and in many seasons, the three-point shooting rate exceeded 40%, reaching the level of the league's elite shooters. The 19-20 season was the best, averaging 7.9 three-pointers per game and hitting 3.3 of them, shooting 41.2 percent. By this season, with the rise of Edwards, Towns appropriately reduced his three-point shooting, but the number was reduced, the efficiency was not reduced, and the 42.5% three-point shooting rate ranked 13th in the league, which was also his career high.
His excellent three-point shooting ability makes Downs quite threatening on the offensive end, and he can take apart the shot after blocking and dismantling with his teammates, opening up space for the team and ensuring that his teammates are empty. At the same time, you can also hold the ball personally and start singles from outside the three-point line, making the opponent's defense quite stressful. The data shows that This season, Towns averaged 2.4 singles per game and scored 1.15 points, which is better than the 90.5% of players in the league. In terms of three-point shooting, his three-point shooting rate is as high as 54.5%, and his three-point shooting rate is 40.8%, all of which belong to the elite shooter level.
Speaking about Towns, teammate Vanderbilt said: "Downs' offensive arsenal is so rich, he is so well-rounded that he can play anywhere on the field. He'll take apart shots, he'll go down, he'll attack in the low post, he'll shoot from mid-range, he'll attack in the elbow zone, and he's a nightmare for his opponents." Obviously, Vanderbilt is not lying, in addition to having excellent three-point shooting ability, Towns also has a good mid-range and low-post technology, this season he averaged 3.7 attacks per game in the low position, shooting a whopping 51.3%, very efficient.
Defense with noticeable improvement
On the offensive end, Towns has always been talented, but the defense is often criticized. However, Downs has indeed improved on the defensive end this season, and in addition to playing the basic stats of 1.2 blocks per game, he has also been outstanding in protecting the frame and limiting the opponent's shooting rate.
In the past few seasons, the opponent's overall shooting percentage has tended to rise against Downs' defense, including a 0.9 percentage point increase in opponents' shooting rate in the 19-20 season. By this season, Downs had clearly done better, not only was he good at defending alone, but he was also actively involved in assisting and guarding the rim. The data shows that this season, Towns averaged 9.6 times per game to interfere with opponents' shots, ranking 19th in the league, facing Downs' defense, the opponent's shooting rate fell by 3.3 percentage points compared with usual, of which the 2-point shooting rate fell from 54.3% to 49.6%, down 4.7 percentage points from usual, both of which are career highs.
This season, the Timberwolves conceded only 107.7 points per 100 possessions, playing the 8th most defensive efficiency in the league, and Towns was absolutely indispensable. When he's on the floor, the Timberwolves can win 4.1 more points per 100 possessions, and when he's not on the floor, the team concedes 5.3 more points per 100 possessions, which is enough to show its importance to the team.
Where it still needs to be improved
As team leader, Towns should have taken on more in key moments, but apparently, he wasn't doing a good enough job. This season, Towns played 12 games with key moments, averaging 3.5 minutes per game, but only 1.3 points and 0.6 rebounds, shooting only 37.5% from the field and 33.3% from three-point range.
Finally, I want to say
Towns is a standard active center, and his all-round offensive skills keep the Timberwolves in full swing, often scoring highs of 130 or even 140 in a single game. At the same time, his improvement on the defensive end this season has made it more difficult for opponents to attack, becoming the last barrier on the defensive end of the team. Overall, Downs' strength is improving, and he's making himself, and he's making the Timberwolves better.