Center: Ivica Zubac vs. Karl-Anthony Towns
This one isn’t really fair. While Ivica Zubac was brilliant in Summer League and has the potential to become truly special, there isn’t a young center in the league who would have a chance to win a head-to head comparison with Karl-Anthony Towns.
A ferocious shot-blocker with impressive athleticism and a smooth jump shot, Towns is everything a team could ask for out of a big man. He steamrolled the competition on his way to Rookie of the Year honors and looks to make his first All Star appearance sooner rather than later. Few young players at any position can come close to him in terms of value and upside.
In Towns the Timberwolves have something that the Lakers haven’t yet found: a cornerstone player that the team can commit to building around for years to come. While it’s too early to guarantee Towns will lead his team to a championship, it’s likely that he will be an MVP contender during his career, and is as good a bet as any young player to anchor a title-winning roster.
9/16/2016 #whoready @Ronnie2K @NBA2K pic.twitter.com/HjXi1pMBu0
— Karl-Anthony Towns (@KarlTowns) August 25, 2016
This is not to say that the Lakers are in a bad spot at this position. While Zubac slipped to the second round in this year’s draft as a result of his refusal to remain in Europe, he was valued as a late lottery pick by multiple analysts. Even those rankings seem low after he demonstrated an effective jump shot and the ability to protect the rim at a high level, both of which were concerns prior to the draft.
Zubac will have to continue to build on his impressive debut, but he certainly has the potential to be a starter in the NBA or better if he continues to improve his game. Regardless, nothing short of Zubac dropping a Kobe-esque 81 points in Summer League would have made this a close call. The Timberwolves win this one handily.
This one should probably count as two.
Winner: Timberwolves (By a landslide)
Next: Watch 'Shaquille O'Neal's Ultimate Career Mixtape!' via NBA
In our final piece, we will be breaking down the battle of the reserves, so stay tuned for that later this week.