On February 20, Beijing time, in the NBA All-Star three-point game that has ended today, Timberwolves interior player Carl Anthony Towns shot 29 points in the final to win the final championship.
Before the game, it was widely believed that this year's three-point contest champions would most likely be those defenders, after all, Kennard, Trae Young, Mills, and VanVleet were all known for shooting three points. But times have changed, and today's interior players may be able to shoot three-pointers more than defenders.
Not only that, in addition to winning this year's three-point contest, Downs also won the 2016 All-Star Skills Challenge. As a result, Towns became the second player in NBA history to win a skill game and three-point championship, the first being Warriors star Steven Curry.
The difference is that the Skill Challenge and the Three-Point Contest are generally considered to be duels between defenders, and Downs, as an interior player, can win these two championships, which is enough to see that his basic skills are very solid.
As the 2015 premier show, Downs has performed well this season. He has played 52 games for the Timberwolves' starters so far, averaging 34.3 minutes per game. He can finish with 24.4 points, 9.7 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 1.0 steals and 1.1 blocks, shooting 52.2% from the field and 40.9% from three-point range. He was also named to this year's All-Star Game.
Although Downs is an interior player, his possession and shooting are excellent. He averaged 2.1 three-pointers per game, a rarity among interior players. This season, the Timberwolves have also achieved a relatively good record under his leadership, ranking seventh in the West with 31 wins and 28 losses so far this season.