As expected, the newest member of the Timberwolves is Karl-AnthonyTowns. The Wolves picked first in the NBA draft for the first time in franchise history Thursday, and Flip Saunders surprised few by picking Towns, a 19-year-old center from Kentucky who will contribute immediately on defense and shows a huge, versatile upside on offense. The decision appeared to be a fait accompli for days. The Wolves were lured by the opportunity to get better on the defensive end immediately, and they and other draft analysts were unconcerned about Towns’ relatively modest offensive production in college. While not tipping his hand, Saunders, the Wolves’ president of basketball operations, extolled the virtues of Towns during his meeting with the media Wednesday. “Everybody talks about his versatility,” Saunders said. “He’s known right now [as] more of a defensive player. He’s very much underrated offensively, I think, because of playing in [Kentucky coach John Calipari’s] situation. By far, he’s the best pick-and-roll defensive big man in the draft. If you base things on it analytically, he’s the top analytical player, everything he’s done, on a per-minute basis. There’s a reason that people are looking at him as being one of the top players in the draft.’’ - See more athttp://www.startribune.com/karl-anthony-towns-drafted-no-1-overall-by-timberwolves-as-expected/309936841/
