StaTuesday: Among big men, Towns is the truest of shooters
Karl-Anthony Towns isn't taking as many shots as some would like -- he's averaging a career-low 13.6 field-goal attempts per game -- but the Minnesota Timberwolves big man is making the best of it.
Towns currently has a .647 true shooting percentage (TS% takes into account 2-point and 3-point field goals, as well as free throws), putting him on pace to finish well above the .618 mark he posted last season.
He's one of just four 7-foot players since the 1946-47 season to finish above the .600 mark while shooting from deep while attempting at least 100 3s, joining Boston Celtics big Kelly Olynyk, Portland's Arvydas Sabonis (who did it as a 31-year-old "rookie") and Dallas Mavericks great Dirk Nowitzki.
Interestingly, the other three players were all born outside the United States: Olynyk was born and raised in Canada while Sabonis is a Lithuanian who helped his home country win bronze medals in the Olympics twice as well as a gold in 1988 for the Soviet Union.
The iconic Nowitzki is German, and his one-legged fadeaway's impact on the game are readily apparent in the following chart. Nowitzki accounts for 15 of the NBA's top 20 true shooting seasons by 7-footers all time.
| PLAYER | SEASON | 3PA | 2FG% | 3FG% | FT% | TS% |
| Karl-Anthony Towns | 2017-18 | 211 | .590 | .422 | .850 | .647 |
| Karl-Anthony Towns | 2016-17 | 275 | .542 | .367 | .832 | .618 |
| Arvydas Sabonis | 1995-96 | 104 | .574 | .375 | .757 | .617 |
| Dirk Nowitzki | 2010-11 | 168 | .538 | .393 | .892 | .612 |
| Dirk Nowitzki | 2006-07 | 173 | .515 | .416 | .904 | .605 |
| Dirk Nowitzki | 2013-14 | 329 | .532 | .398 | .899 | .603 |
| Kelly Olynyk | 2016-17 | 192 | .608 | .354 | .732 | .603 |
| Kelly Olynyk | 2017-18 | 185 | .588 | .368 | .754 | .603 |
| Dirk Nowitzki | 2000-01 | 390 | .513 | .387 | .838 | .601 |
At just 22, Towns has plenty of time left to give that list a dramatic rewrite.
KAT currently ranks fourth in the league in TS% under similar conditions, behind only Cleveland's Kyle Korver, Reggie Bullock and Anthony Tolliver of Detroit and master sharpshooter Steph Curry of Golden State. Olynyk is the next 7-footer to enter the list, all the way down at No. 19.
Here's the top 10 in TS% for those also qualifying for 3-point percentage leaders entering Tuesday's games:
| PLAYER | 3PA | 2FG% | 3FG% | FT% | TS% |
| Stephen Curry | 421 | .601 | .416 | .915 | .672 |
| Kyle Korver | 294 | .556 | .432 | .887 | .650 |
| Karl-Anthony Towns | 211 | .590 | .422 | .850 | .647 |
| Anthony Tolliver | 233 | .590 | .412 | .798 | .645 |
| Reggie Bullock | 159 | .580 | .453 | .733 | .643 |
| Kevin Durant | 290 | .570 | .421 | .882 | .641 |
| Joe Ingles | 313 | .506 | .457 | .829 | .636 |
| Darius Miller | 252 | .538 | .425 | .872 | .635 |
| Marvin Williams | 190 | .523 | .432 | .588 | .623 |
| James Harden | 512 | .518 | .381 | .866 | .621 |
Statistics courtesy of basketball-reference.com and NBA.com
