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Karl-Anthony Towns has not been a very good defender since entering the NBA. And at the start of his third year, the numbers suggest he’s still not showing much improvement. The Minnesota Timberwolves have been simply horrific defensively through five games whenever their star big man has been on the floor.
Hide your eyes: Through 5 games, the Wolves have given up nearly 120 per 100 with KAT on the floor.
— Jason Patt (@Bulls_Jay) October 26, 2017
Towns’ defensive rating is second-worst on the team among regular Timberwolves rotation players, but is easily the worst among the starters.
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After a 122-101 defeat to the Detroit Pistons, which was their second blowout loss in a row, the Timberwolves now have the worst defense in the NBA. It should be noted that they were without top perimeter defender Jimmy Butler in both of their blowout losses to the Pistons and the Indiana Pacers.
Still, it must be concerning that Towns and the Timberwolves as a whole have remained so bad on that end of the court despite the presence of head coach and famed defensive guru Tom Thibodeau.
Towns isn’t the only reason for the Timberwolves’ defensive struggles, but as one of the team’s big stars and leaders, it’s his responsibility to improve. For all his amazing talents offensively, his ineffectiveness on defense could potentially hold this promising Timberwolves team back.
