NBA 2018-19: 4 Players who could make an All-Star appearance from Northwest Division
For those not informed, the Northwest division lies in the Western Conference and consists of five teams which are the Denver Nuggets, Portland Trailblazers, Oklahoma City Thunder, Minnesota Timberwolves & Utah Jazz.
This is an early look into the current status quo of the Northwest Division, one that consists of four teams that made the playoffs last year. The Denver Nuggets fell a sliver-short of the 8-team playoff window and finished 9th with a 46-36 record.
The Northwest consists of all the teams that house the ability to breakout any season and ruin the Western Conference for the expected leaders in the Warriors & Rockets. The talent pool in the ever-so-competitive West is reinforced by the skill level the players in the above five teams possess.
Some of the stars have really played out of their skin so far this season and it would make sense to pick and list the well-deserved All-star predictions from this division, in particular.
#4 Karl Anthony Towns (Minnesota Timberwolves)
Karl Anthony-Towns signed a five-year, $190M super-maximum deal in the September of 2018. The impactful signing was an indication that the T-Wolves organization sees a potential future in him, and expectedly so, the 23-year-old hasn't disappointed.
He has started all 20 games of this season for Minnesota so far and is averaging a double-double of 20.8 points & 12.3 rebounds per game. Hosting career-high averages in blocks(1.7) and rebounds(12.3) this season, Towns is also averaging 89% from the free-throw line which is his best of all the four seasons he's spent in the NBA.
His undeniable presence in the post and inhuman tenacity on the boards has often come to the rescue of the Wolves in times of need. His leadership and maturity in crunch situations willed Minnesota into taking the final playoff berth(at the 8th position) last year, only to be beaten 4-1 by the Rockets in the first round.
The most recent show of KAT's dominance occurred when he dropped 35 points and 22 rebounds against the Bulls on November 24th, making it his 3rd career game with atleast 30 points and 20 rebounds.