The Minnesota Timberwolves will look back at the move with regret.
The New York Knicks have benefited from the offensive skill that Karl-Anthony Towns provides their team. The Minnesota Timberwolves, on the other hand, might look at the move with some regret, and even more so after the two teams met on December 19.
The Knicks obliterated the Timberwolves. They won 133-107, leaving no room for anticipation or a comeback. They simply took the win, making a statement with Towns, who was incredible. He scored 32 points and pulled down 20 rebounds en route to the victory.
After the game, reactions were set to come. One former player, Patrick Beverley, commented on the matter.
Towns was magnificent in the Knicks’ road victory in Minnesota, and the Timberwolves struggled mightily. After the game, Beverly, who had previously been a teammate of the duo, took to social media to make his feelings regarding the trade known.
“[Towns] just killed the Twolves and destroyed Rudy. awful Trade,” Beverley posted.
The take didn’t stop at “awful trade,” but after an NBA fan responded, Beverley claimed the two should have remained together as one of the best duos in the entire NBA.
“i agree. i woulda like to keep him and Ant together. they were the best duos in the league,” Beverley posted as a follow-up.
The Timberwolves were foolish to aim to save long-term money. They took a big step backward after moving on from Towns, who gave nine years to the franchise and didn’t to be traded. It could even have long-term implications with Anthony Edwards — their franchise superstar — and how he approaches his future and the team.
With Towns thriving in the Big Apple, Edwards is getting frustrated in the Twin Cities. In the loss to the Knicks, Edwards shot 7-of-16 from the floor for 17 points. He’s taken a bit of a step back this season as the Timberwolves are struggling.
After the loss, Edwards addressed the lack of floor spacing as a reason why the offense is stagnant and he can’t get to the rim efficiently. The team has no identity beyond its two lead scorers.
“We don’t have shit on offense. We don’t have no identity. We know I’m gonna shoot a bunch of shots, we know Ju gonna shoot a bunch of shots, and that’s all we know,” Edwards said.
Julius Randle and Edwards shooting a heavy dose of shots does nothing if the rest of the team isn’t spacing the floor, cutting or providing value within the system. Towns was a perfect co-star and floor-spacer.
Ironically, Towns converted on each of his five 3-pointers against the Timberwolves, showing them exactly what is missing from their offense. Towns and Edwards were an elite duo, which was proven in their path to the Western Conference Finals last season.
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