As we all know, Karl-Anthony Towns or KAT is a highly-skilled center in today’s NBA. The 26-year-old center from Minnesota Timberwolves is an excellent three-point shooter, probably the best shooting big man. He is shooting 39.6% from three in his career. He is also part of the three-point contest in the all-star break this season. It’s extremely incredible since he is a Center.
Furthermore, he has great footwork that matches his great ability to finish. He’s averaging 24 points and 10 rebounds per game this season. Clearly, Towns is already at a superstar level. But, as talented as KAT is now, will he be able to fit in the ’90s?
THE RAGTAG PHYSICALITY OF THE ’90S
The 1990s were packed with some of the best centers the league has ever seen: Shaquille O’Neal, Hakeem Olajuwon, David Robinson, Patrick Ewing, Alonzo Mourning, Dikembe Mutombo, Manute Bol, and many many more. Add in that list talented power forwards like Karl Malone, Dennis Rodman, and Charles Barkley.
That decade was obviously dominated by strong and outstanding big men that lived in the painted area. Back then, the ’90s were not yet accustomed to big men shooting threes. Although some greats shoot the three every now and then, it wasn’t deemed the trend, and it was frowned upon by teammates/coaching staff. If you do it on a nightly basis, chances are, you’re gonna get benched.
The physicality during that era created players that were tough as nails. You literally have to fight for your life just to get that offensive rebound (insert Dennis Rodman).
KAT is great, I’ll give you that. But he probably won’t be able to handle this physicality if he was there. I highly doubt KAT would even be able to stand next to Shaq or David Robinson.
Towns is, again, a very skilled athlete.
He is somewhat of a generational talent. Though, honestly, he won’t fit in as a center who pounds with other centers below the basket. He doesn’t even do it in today’s league.
The best role that he can fit into is a POINT-FORWARD. Karl-Anthony Towns has great handles, good playmaking (averaging 4 assists a game), excellent shooting, and can also score in the paint if needed.
KAT can fit perfectly as a forward like Dirk Nowitzki/Kevin Garnett hybrid. Two of the greatest power forwards combined!
The ZONE DEFENSE was illegal in the ’90s, but this won’t probably affect him so much. The problem he must consider is the HAND CHECKING rule. Since this is a very physical era, defenders will always try to push him off in his position (I see you, Dennis Rodman).
THE ANSWER
- Most probably, YES. Karl-Anthony Towns is an exceptional talent. These types of athletes were born to become stars. We know these guys can adapt to any circumstances.
- The ’90s may be unforgiving and extremely physical, but we saw how well Tim Duncan did during that era. So Towns can do just as fine. Not as great, but good.
OTHER NEWS: 4 NBA Players Who Recovered From A Terrible Injury (and 4 Who Did Not)
Do you think KAT would have been great in the 90s era? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below. For more content, stay with us, here at Spiel Times.  Â
Make sure you subscribe to our push-notifications and never miss an update from the world of video games, cinema, and sports. You can also follow us on Twitter @spieltimes for the latest PS5 restock and drop. Until next time, Stay Safe and Happy Gaming!Â
