Don’t sleep on Karl-Anthony Towns’ passing ability

Karl-Anthony Towns has rather quickly established himself as a rookie sensation. Within his first six games as a pro, he joined LeBron James in the record books as the only teenagers in NBA history to put up 28 points and 14 rebounds in a contest. The Kentucky product has showed off a mature offensive game, an ability to dominate the boards and impressive rim protection skills.

Beyond that, though, Towns is also an effective passer. In yesterday’s “Rebuild and Retain” piece, Austin Peters briefly mentioned Towns’ passing ability by highlighting his impressive instinctual move to hit a cutting Nemanja Bjelica after grabbing an offensive board.

Towns’ passing ability isn’t exactly an unknown part of his game, but it is often overshadowed by some of the flashier things he does on the court. As a freshman in Lexington, Towns assisted on 11.6 buckets while he was on the floor, according to KenPom. That was the third best mark on the Wildcats roster amongst players who played at least 30 percent of available minutes and trailed only the team’s two point guards. His excellent court vision has allowed him to become a more reliable option in crunch time situations for coach Sam Mitchell.

Against Chicago, with the Wolves up by five and under 40 seconds to play, Ricky Rubio handled the ball at the top of the key. Minnesota initiated a 1-3 pick-and-roll, using Tayshaun Prince as the screener. Prince rolled off to the right side of the court alone as Towns got post position at the elbow. The pass into the paint got just enough of a look from Doug McDermott to allow Prince to cut to the hoop. Towns hit him on the money with an over the shoulder pass that allowed the veteran to collect a layup and closeout the win for the Wolves.

With passes like that, Towns will have the ability to punish double teams when they come, which should help the Wolves create a more effective offense once they upgrade their roster with more shooting options. So, while Towns is filling up the stat sheet in other categories, don’t forget he passes well, too.