Friendly Bounce Open Run: Karl-Anthony Towns is generational

Poor Al Jefferson

by Matt Cianfrone (@Matt_Cianfrone)

Lost in the midst of all the games on Wednesday night was news that could very well spell the end of the big money career of Al Jefferson. A slow-it-down post-up behemoth, Jefferson has already looked jarringly out of place in the newer style NBA (and the style played by his team) filled with pick-and-rolls, fast tempo and three-pointers. Now he been scheduled for knee surgery and ruled out for six weeks by the Hornets, a move they announced shortly after the tip of their game against the Los Angeles Clippers.

The injury marked the second consecutive season that Jefferson had some type of major problem, which is a problem for a player that enters free agency this summer. Already struggling with questions of how he fits in the changing game, the torn meniscus Jefferson is now suffering from very well may have ended any hopes he had of having one last big payday, a feeling that was only made worse when watching the rest of the games being played.

In Toronto, Marcin Gortat flew around setting screens for John Wall and rebounding as Washington continued to play smallball. In Chicago, the Bulls and Pacers got 42 combined minutes from “stretch bigs” Myles Turner and Nikola Mirotic. Even in Charlotte, the Hornets shot 30 three-pointers and played fast without Jefferson on the floor.

Jefferson may recover well and come back to help the Hornets towards the end of the season by Wednesday night felt like the sad final straw towards hopes of one last big summer for the player who helped the Hornets find a jolt of energy they so desperately needed a few seasons ago. It stinks but it is just another reminder of how fast things can change in the NBA.

The Sixers traded for a point guard

by Ryne Prinz (@RynePrinz)

By now, most everyone in the basketball community understands the Sixers’ Process. The franchise’s plan is to construct a roster so poor that they win the lottery and draft a superstar. In the past draft, Philly drafted big man Jahlil Okafor out of Duke. The center is an incredible post scorer, using his size and moves to get buckets with ease.

However, Jah isn’t skilled enough to create for himself. He needs someone to get him the rock. Up to the recent trade for Ish Smith, the Sixers two leading guards in minutes were Isaiah Canaan and T.J. McConnell. Although both of these young players aren’t terrible, they certainly aren’t starting point guards in the NBA, something that Smith can be.

In his two games so far with the 76ers, Ish is averaging 18 points and eight assists per game. And they won of those two games! While getting a draft pick is a crucial element to the Process, the Sixers can’t hinder the development of their future in the, well, process.

Magic brewing in Orlando?

by Zach Oliver (@ZachOliverNBA)

Now, as someone who watches a lot of Orlando Magic basketball and covers them on a day-to-day basis, I’ve become very bullish on the team. They show signs, but they can’t manage to string it all together for more than a single game. Wednesday night was no different, with the Magic struggling with the lowly Brooklyn Nets on their home floor.

Yet, the Magic found a way to grind out the victory. It was a win that the last three seasons, the Magic would not have notched. They simply would’ve rolled over and lost by 20, no matter the calibre of the team they were facing.

What was different Wednesday? Some may point to the coaching of Scott Skiles, who in his first year as the Magic’s head man, has turned them around. Others could point to the play of Victor Oladipo, who is defending at such a high level, his coach believes he could be an All-Defensive team honoree come seasons end.

Whichever way you point, one thing should be clear: the Magic have something going. It may not be good enough to win them championships. Scratch that, it won’t win them championships right now. But, they’re finding the building blocks that they need to finally begin to get to the level they so dearly want to be at.

There’s still a long way to go, and there will definitely be more peaks and valleys throughout the season, but right now, the Magic are nearing one of those peaks, and certainly seem to be making some Magic in the City Beautiful.

Karl-Anthony Towns: Generational rookie

by Taylor Smith (@TaylorBojangles)

Karl-Anthony Towns was the No. 1 overall pick in last summer’s draft, so it’s not like we didn’t see this coming. But, in a way, it feels like we really didn’t see this coming. Towns turned 20 not even two months ago, yet already seems destined for a transcendent NBA career.

He plays for Minnesota, of course, so he doesn’t get the national exposure that Kristaps Porzingis does in New York. The 76ers have been a trainwreck for most of the season, so we’ve been hearing a lot about how Jahlil Okafor may be the man tasked with turning that thing around. D’Angelo Russell’s pro career has gotten off to a tumultuous start, thanks in large part to a crazy coach and a crazy roster around him, but we still hear about him plenty. Nothing against any of those guys, because they’re all going to be excellent players for a long time. But what we’re seeing with Karl-Anthony Towns is deserving of far more attention than it’s gotten to this point.

KAT is a legit seven-foot manchild that has the two-way skillset of a player that’s been in the league a decade. Per 36 minutes, the big man is averaging 19.9 points, 11.8 boards and 2.4 blocks all while shooting 53 percent from the floor. Fifty-three percent shooting isn’t overly exciting for a center, but take a gander at his NBA.com shot chart. He’s not just shooting a bunch of two-footers, folks.

Towns is downright RANGY. He’s even connecting on 37 percent of his three-pointers! Sure, the sample size is relatively small (he’s only taken 27 of those all year), but that’s not nothing, either. That’s nearly one triple attempt a game. The assist numbers aren’t eye-popping, but he’s also shown flashes of passing ability not normally seen in a center.

In Minnesota’s win Wednesday night against the (VERY shorthanded) Jazz, Towns put up 25 points, 12 boards and two blocks, with 12 of those 25 points coming in the game’s final frame. Ho hum. When interviewed after the game, he had this to say about his performance (via ESPN):, “I played absolutely atrocious,” Towns said, pointing to his three turnovers, three missed free throws and a couple of defensive miscues in the third quarter that prompted coach Sam Mitchell to pull him. “Those mistakes can cost us a game. I played terrible.”

He’s obviously wrong, but quotes like this are a big reason he’s going to be a generational player. He doesn’t even seem to know how awesome he already is, and he’s only going to get better. He seriously thought he sucked tonight, when in reality he was the main reason Minnesota won this game.Towns may well already be the best player on his team, which is no small order. He shows great footwork with touch offensively, while being an agile, paint-patrolling menace on the other end of the floor. Basically, he’s everything you’d want your modern-day center to be.

The Timberwolves aren’t very good yet, but it’s easy to see why their future looks so bright. Karl-Anthony Towns: 20-year-old destroyer of worlds.