When Carl Anthony Downs called himself the best big shooter ever, many people disagreed.
Indeed, the NBA represents the highest level of basketball, and while three-point shooting has long seemed more like the preserve of smaller players, there have also been many seven-foot-long shooters.
Dirk Nowitzki is one of the most representative. The former Dallas Mavericks star big forward, in its long 21-year career, with a hand of accurate outside shooting to create countless brilliant, the 2011 NBA Finals, it is with his inexplicable jump shot, the Lone Ranger defeated the hot and popular heat, won the first championship trophy in the history of the team.
So, on December 22 last year, when Towns hit an arc-top three-pointer in an away game against the Lone Ranger, and Noh Tianwang, who was the commentator, commented that "this is the best big shooter in the world", the two commentators next to him immediately laughed.
But today, in the 2022 All-Star Three-Point Long-Range Shooting Contest, Towns beat elite shooters such as Luke Kennard and Trae Young to become the first center player in history to win the three-point title. Those who laughed at him should have looked at him with astonishment.
Towns is undoubtedly a gifted basketball player, but when people first call him an "outside-oriented" big man, it's a belittling one. Because at that time, the three-point ball had not yet become the mainstream technology of basketball, not to mention that Towns had the size advantage of the crushing level in the same level of competition, and could completely tear the opponent under the basket.
Downs has idolized Kevin Durant since childhood, and at the age of 16, he was compared to Nowitzki, shooting, which is an obsession that goes deep into his bones. But when he joined Kentucky in 2014, coach Calipari barely allowed him to shoot from outside the three-point line.
In his only season with the Wildcats, Towns only tried eight three-point attempts in total, averaging just 0.2 shots per game. But that still didn't affect his draft — that year, he averaged 10.3 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 2.3 blocks in 21.1 minutes per game, and his soft shooting feel was fully reflected in his 56.6 percent shooting percentage and 81.3 percent free throw shooting.
After entering the Alliance, Downs gradually shed his shackles and began to reveal another important weapon in his personal arsenal. He won the Rookie of the Year, was named an All-Star twice during his four-year rookie contract, won a five-year, $190 million super salary contract, and became one of the league's best offensively skilled big men.
When Downs was interviewed on December 19 to claim to be the best big shooter of all time, he had the data argument to back it up.
In his 7-year career to date, Towns has averaged 20+ points per game in four seasons, shooting more than 50 percent from the field and more than 40 percent from three-point range. And in the entire history of the NBA, no other center player has performed similarly more than once.
Even Nowitzki, once considered the best big shooter of all time, didn't do as well as Downs from a statistical point of view. Nortenwang averaged 3.4 three-pointers per game in his career and shot 38 percent from the field. Towns, on the other hand, averaged 4.1 three-pointers per game and shot 39.6 percent from the field.
In fact, Downs is not only the best big shooter, but even if he breaks the boundaries of height and position, he is also one of the top shooters in the league at present.
Of the eight players invited to the three-point contest today, Downes ranked fourth with a 40.9 percent three-point shooting percentage this season, lower than Kennard, Mills, and Bain, and higher than VanVleet, LaVin, Trae Young and McCollum. It is worth noting that the first three are all role players, and the last four are all offensive arrow figures of their respective teams, and the defensive pressure suffered by everyone is not a level at all. Today's three-point contest, when everyone is in an empty position, the results say it all.
Towns has always been aware that he can shoot, in fact, his best personal three-point shooting performance is not this season. Two years earlier, in his first season after receiving a maximum salary extension, he averaged 7.9 three-pointers per game, shooting 3.3 shots and shooting 41.2 percent. That year, Towns averaged a career-high 26.5 points per game, but the Timberwolves had just a record of 19 wins and 45 losses, second-to-last in the division.
Over the past two seasons, Towns' three-point shooting percentage has remained at an elite level, but the number of shots has begun to decrease, because he has begun to focus more on the basket than blindly floating on the outside to shoot three-point shots. He cares more about what he does to help the team win than he does with beautiful personal data.
"I can't obsess over three-pointers," Towns said in an interview, "and I can't rely on three-pointers." I work very my physique, and I feel like I'm now easier than at any point in my career to finish under the basket. ”
Towns has averaged 5.2 three-pointers per game this season, still the highest among center players, but he's only had one game since Jan. 29 that he's had more than four three-point shots. During this period, he averaged 10.5 dribbles per game to the basket, surpassing Embiid (8.3) and Jokic (4.8) and ranking first among center players.
Because of Downs' aggressiveness, the Timberwolves achieved a 7-3 record during this period, ushering in An All-Star Weekend as seventh in the West.
Towns stepped up his impact on the basket, and his ability to walk through Yang anytime, anywhere, was still very important for his breakthrough efficiency. Because of the huge projection threat, he can easily fool the defense with every flicker outside the three-point line, and then step through the opponent, stride into the box, even if there is a supplementary defense, he can also divide the ball to the teammates who appear in the outside line at the first time.
'I just try to use my strengths as much as I can, knowing that with Anthony (Edwards) and D'Angelo (Russell) around me, my breakthrough creates a lot of easy shots for my teammates. Towns said.
But in the face of such a precise projection, but also full of aggression, teammates would rather he pass the ball less and shoot more points.
"I just try to flash to the side," Edwards said in an interview, "and when he starts to break through, all I can do is get out of the way." I don't even want to be in his field of vision, he's so selfless, if he sees me empty, he's going to pass, I don't want him to pass the ball again. ”
The Timberwolves' defense is still struggling, but since Jan. 8, they've scored 118.8 points per 100 possessions in their last 21 games, ranking first in the league in terms of offensive efficiency! Downs's outstanding performance played a decisive role in it.
John Calipari had barred Towns from shooting three points, and as a result, the Wildcats, who had an ultra-luxurious lineup and were unbeaten in 38 games, lost to Wisconsin in the final four and missed the championship.
Ryan Sanders allowed Towns to shoot three-pointers, so the Timberwolves were 24th in the league in offensive efficiency and became the lottery winner.
Now, in the tutelage of Chris Finch and his own exploration, Downs has finally found a balance. Three-point shooting is still a very important weapon for him, but obviously not all.
Towns said he was the best big shooter in history, more to express a sense of confidence, but the title was not so important to him.
His new three-point king is an NBA All-Star.