2015 NBA Draft Profile: Karl-Anthony Towns

As we continue our look at the top prospects in the 2015 NBA Draft which the Lakers will have their eye on. After first looking at Duke Blue Devils’ center Jahlil Okafor, the consensus top prospect. One of the next top prospects is another center in Kentucky’s Karl-Anthony Towns.

Name: Karl-Anthony Towns

School: University of Kentucky

Position: Center

Height: 6’11.25″

Weight: 250 pounds

Draft Position: Top 5 Pick

Overview: Before offering my first observation, let me say this: Jahlil Okafor is by far the best player and prospect in this draft, and I can’t imagine anyone drafting Karl-Anthony Towns over him. That being said, Towns’ ceiling and potential are higher than that of Okafor’s, making him an intriguing prospect for a general manager with the future in mind.

The Lakers could be that team, given their history. Many will remember the 2005 NBA Draft when the Lakers took a chance on a 17-year old out of high school named Andrew Bynum, then watched him blossom into a key contributor for back-to-back titles. With Towns, we have a much, much better prospect with a high upside, but someone the Lakers could certainly take a risk on.

More from Lakers Draft

Why The Lakers Should Be Excited: The biggest difference between Towns and Okafor is on the defensive end. Towns isn’t just better than Okafor defensively, he’s one of the best in the country. To start, his 2.7 blocks a game is an impressive figure and ranks him 20th in the nation. However, as part of Kentucky’s incredibly deep roster, he averages just 20.1 minutes a game, right at half of the 40 minutes played. If you look at per-40 minute stats, Towns averages a staggering 4.7 blocks per game. For an even better idea of his defensive talent, his block percentage of 13% is 5th in the nation.

His defense doesn’t end with his rim protection. Despite being measured at just 20 pounds lighter than Okafor, Towns is far more mobile, especially in terms of lateral quickness and foot speed, and that’s a vast understatement. Towns does not simply slow down ball-handlers in the pick and roll, he’ll switch out on them and defend them with success. His wingspan of over 7’3.25″ wreaks havoc on ball-handlers. His defensive rating of a staggering 74.7 ranks him top in the nation.

He can certainly hold his own on the glass as well, grabbing 12.8 rebounds per 40 minutes, while nearly five of those 12.8 come on the offensive glass. He’s not afraid to get down low and bang around for the tough rebounds and fight for the ball, a trait that will carry well into the NBA.

Maybe most enticing for Lakers fans is that he would fit well along side Julius Randle, maybe better so than Okafor. In our limited time of having seen Randle on the court, his defense has not been particularly noteworthy. Not just for Randle, but for the whole team, Towns can be a last line of defense.

Towns’ offense is somewhat a work in progress, but intriguing nonetheless. He has solid range and can pick and roll or pick and pop. His athleticism lends himself to impressive feats and plays given his size. For a comparison Lakers fans can relate to, think of him as a more athletic Andrew Bynum with more range.

Why Lakers Fans Should Be Wary: While his offensive game is versatile, it is still a big work in progress. The tools are there to work with, but he still needs to master how to best use them. The immense athleticism and wingspan of Towns’ is not normal, but does not necessarily equal success. Towns is like multiple years away from being a big force for the Lakers.

The big problem with Towns is he appears to still be growing into his body. At times, he’s a little clumsy or unbalanced, which could simply be another thing that takes time to develop. However, as we saw with someone like a Kwame Brown or Bismack Biyombo, elite size or wingspan isn’t enough in the NBA.

Towns doesn’t have much pressure on him currently at Kentucky given their immense depth. We’ll talk about some of their other prospects in the future, but the likes of Willie Cauley-Stein and Dakari Johnson are both centers and both of them will be first-round draft picks. He’s not playing more than 20 minutes a game and doesn’t have to play at a high level night in and night out.

Final Say: Towns has what NBA scouts and GMs drool over: potential. At the end of the day, he’s going to be an impact player on the defensive side and his athleticism can create mismatches offensively. He has the range to play power forward as well. Paired with Randle, Towns could solidify the Lakers front court for years to come and make them a dominant duo.

Next: 2015 NBA Draft Profile: Emmanuel Mudiay

More from Lake Show Life