Mar 26, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers guard Gary Browne (14) dribbles while guarded by Kentucky Wildcats forward Karl-Anthony Towns (12) during the first half in the semifinals of the midwest regional of the 2015 NCAA Tournament at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports
2. Towns’ Defense
There is no questioning that, as of right now, Towns is clearly the vastly superior defensive prospect when compared to Okafor. Indeed, Towns averaged 4.3 blocks per 40 minutes, utilizing the impressive wing span and athleticism mentioned above. By almost all advanced defensive metrics, Towns projects to be an excellent defender at the next level, whether he’s playing the 4 or the 5.
And having a legitimate rim protector is of the utmost importance in today’s NBA, evidenced by the fact that the Cavaliers and Warriors (you know, the two teams in the NBA Finals) both have very good defensive centers in their starting lineups. Another example of the impact that a rim protecting center can have is Rudy Gobert’s instant transformation of the Jazz’s overall defense as soon as he was inserted into the starting lineup and given substantial minutes this past season.
Next: The Kentucky Connection