Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports
2023-24 stats: 21.8 ppg, 8.3 rpg, 3.0 apg, 0.7 spg, 0.7 bpg, 50.4 FG%, 41.6 3P% in 62 games
2024-25 earnings: $49,205,800 (projected 6th overall in salary)
It’s hard to believe Minnesota Timberwolves big man Karl-Anthony Towns has already been in the NBA for nine years, as it feels like yesterday Minnesota drafted him No. 1 overall out of Kentucky. The 28-year-old has already been in the NBA for so long that he can say he played with Kevin Garnett, Tayshaun Prince and Kevin Martin as a rookie, which feels crazy to even type out but is 100 percent true.
Towns remains one of the better big men in the NBA, though it could be seen as a bit of a disappointment he’s not farther along in his career by now considering he was averaging 25 points and 12 rebounds as a second-year player and earning 3rd Team All-NBA honors in his third season.
Still, the level Towns has seemingly stagnated at is still an impressive one. After all, he’s a productive scorer as a face-up big man, as a driver and as a post-up threat – a borderline All-Star on a yearly basis with good rebounding and solid playmaking numbers. What’s more, he played a huge role in Minnesota’s Western Conference Finals run last season for the franchise’s best finish to a campaign in 20 years.
Then again, Towns going ice cold late in the postseason pretty much ended the Wolves’ bid at a Finals trip, as the talented power forward shot just 20.9 percent from three (40.5 percent from the floor) over his last seven playoff games last season.
Regardless, overall, Towns is an All-Star-level big and should continue to help the Timberwolves make a push to legit title contention over the upcoming seasons, especially after finally fully acclimating to playing alongside behemoth center Rudy Gobert.
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