It’ll never happen, but how cool would Karl-Anthony Towns on the Miami Heat be?
Rarely is wishing to have a high-caliber player from another team join your favorite team a good idea. Not because adding a good player is a bad idea, but because the wishful thinking can get in the way of the reality that it is probably unrealistic to add whatever player that may be, whether it be because of a stylistic fit or because he doesn’t work unde the current cap rules.
That doesn’t make it any less fun though, am i right?
So that’s what I’m doing here, thinking of a player I would love to add to this current Miami Heat roster, assuming everyone is healthy and all roles stay the same as currently assigned. Also taking away the need to remove players from the team for salary reasons.
For the Heat, I had always envisioned a player that could work in the front court with Chris Bosh, that allowed Bosh’s versatility to shine its brightest. A player that can allow Bosh to flow between playing on the perimeter and playing in the post when the match-up dictated it, without having to lose any firepower.
For the last few years, that player had been Anthony Davis. While he’s still a fantastic player, the injuries are concerning. This past summer, I became fully immersed in a guy from Davis’ alma-mater that could be even more dangerous than Davis himself.
Karl-Anthony Towns.
Think about these averages: 18.2 points, 10.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.9 blocks, with shooting splits of 54/35/81. Sounds amazing, right? Should seem otherworldly when you realize that he’s only 19 and can already play with his back to the basket and space the floor with his jumper. He also possesses the footwork of a guard, which should be frightening enough. These videos capture that perfectly:
On defense, that footwork gives him the ability to hold his own on pick and roll switches on the perimeter. In addition to his size allowing him to protect the basket proficiently. These are some examples of him being left on an island on the perimeter.
A guy his size shouldn’t be able to guard on the perimeter that well. Especially with a ball handler as tricky as Steph Curry, who also happens to be the reigning MVP.
His production is off the charts, but it’s his raw skill level that intrigues me the most. Trying to find a player that he compares to is pretty difficult, but he reminds me of Hakeem Olajuwon at times with his skill set. He’s so good for a guy so young, and that only adds to the intrigue about the growth of his game as he ages.
Kevin Durant called Kristaps Porzingis a unicorn, a compliment to his uniqueness. But I think Karl-Anthony Towns is the real unicorn. Like unicorns, this is nothing more than a figment of my imagination.
A man can dream, can’t he?