StaTuesday: Karl-Anthony Towns developing into versatile big man
Karl-Anthony Towns is among the NBA's best front-court players after posting another 30/10/5 game.
Karl-Anthony Towns has to wait until Thursday to find out if he’s headed to the NBA All-Star Game, but regardless of his popularity it’s clear the Minnesota Timberwolves star is evolving into one of the NBA’s most versatile young big men.
Towns is the first second-year player since LeBron James to post at least three games of 30 points, 10 rebounds and five assists in a season, and just the second player since 1998 to do so.
He joins a list that also includes Charles Barkley and Shaquille O’Neal.
| Player | Season | Games | MPG | PPG | RPG | APG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Karl-Anthony Towns | 2016-17 | 3 | 41.2 | 36.7 | 13.3 | 5.7 |
| LeBron James | 2004-05 | 7 | 47.4 | 39.4 | 10.6 | 7.0 |
| Antoine Walker | 1997-98 | 5 | 45.2 | 32.6 | 12.2 | 5.4 |
| Grant Hill | 1995-96 | 4 | 40.8 | 32.5 | 11.8 | 7.3 |
| Shaquille O'Neal | 1993-94 | 4 | 43.8 | 34.8 | 13.3 | 5.3 |
| Charles Barkley | 1985-86 | 5 | 38.6 | 30.6 | 15.6 | 5.2 |
Towns has outscored both so far in such games, and is averaging 36.7 points, 13.3 rebounds and 5.7 assists when crossing the 30/10/5 threshold.
With 38 games to go in the regular season Towns is on pace to challenge James’ sophomore mark after posting back-to-back 30/10/5 games in wins over the Denver Nuggets and L.A. Clippers.
His two-game surge was a Wolves milestone as well.
He's just the second player in franchise history to post consecutive 30/12/5 games, joining former Wolves superstar Kevin Garnett, who did it twice.
| Player | Streak |
|---|---|
| Kevin Garnett | Feb. 1-3, 2004 |
| Kevin Garnett | March 18-20, 2005 |
| Karl-Anthony Towns | Jan. 19-22, 2017 |
Towns is tied for third in the NBA this season in 30/10/5 games, and is one of just 15 players to record at least one.
| Player | Pos | Count |
|---|---|---|
| Russell Westbrook | G | 18 |
| James Harden | G | 6 |
| DeMarcus Cousins | C | 3 |
| Karl-Anthony Towns | F | 3 |
| Giannis Antetokounmpo | F | 2 |
| Carmelo Anthony | F | 2 |
| Jimmy Butler | G | 2 |
| LeBron James | F | 2 |
| Anthony Davis | F | 1 |
| DeMar DeRozan | G | 1 |
| Kevin Durant | F | 1 |
| Nikola Jokic | C | 1 |
| Derrick Rose | G | 1 |
| Kemba Walker | G | 1 |
| John Wall | G | 1 |
He has a ways to go to catch Anthony Davis or DeMarcus Cousins, but Towns is rapidly becoming one of the NBA’s top scoring big men.
He’s outpacing friend and draft-day rival Kristaps Porzingis with seven 30-point games on the season, and ranks a distant third behind Davis and Cousins.
| Player | Pos | Count |
|---|---|---|
| Anthony Davis | F | 20 |
| DeMarcus Cousins | C | 18 |
| Karl-Anthony Towns | F | 7 |
| Marc Gasol | C | 3 |
| Brook Lopez | C | 3 |
| Kristaps Porzingis | F | 3 |
| Nikola Jokic | C | 2 |
| Hassan Whiteside | C | 2 |
| LaMarcus Aldridge | F | 1 |
| Joel Embiid | C | 1 |
| Dwight Howard | C | 1 |
| Serge Ibaka | F | 1 |
| Myles Turner | F | 1 |
| Jonas Valanciunas | C | 1 |
| Nikola Vucevic | C | 1 |
Statistics courtesy of StatMuse Inc and Basketball-Reference.com
