Charles Barkley shreds Karl-Anthony Towns to pieces after he disappeared in Game 2 - "He's ruined his game"
Minnesota Timberwolves star Karl-Anthony Towns had a rather disappointing showing in Game 2 against the Denver Nuggets. With Minnesota facing another loss at the hands of the top seed in the West, Charles Barkley tore into Towns for disappearing in an important game.
The Timberwolves scratched and clawed their way into the playoffs. After being viewed as a title contender at the start of the season, Minnesota has barely looked like a playoff-caliber team since.
Much of this has to do with Karl-Anthony Towns' absence due to injury. However, he hasn't been very impressive upon return either.
Towns had a great stretch of games to close out the regular season. With back-to-back 20+ point performances against the LA Lakers and the OKC Thunder, KAT seemed to be in top form. But the cracks were beginning to show in the game against LA itself.
Although KAT had 24 points, he was a virtual non-factor in the closing segment of the game as he sat on five fouls. This inability to take over games in clutch situations has been on display in the two games against Denver as well.
Needless to say, the Timberwolves forward earned the ire of TNT analyst and NBA legend Charles Barkley as well. Barkley lambasted Towns following the forward's miserable outing on Wednesday.
He said:
"If you're the second-best player on the team, you got to play like it. Karl-Anthony Towns has more turnovers than made baskets. That's not going to get it done."
While Chuck highlighted KAT's advantage against Denver, he also listed his flaws.
He added:
"He's ruined his game, in my opinion, by just becoming a three-point shooter. If you're as big as he is, you're going to have a size/height advantage every single night."
"But if you're going to stand out at the perimeter, two things: You don't get to the foul line and you don't use your height. So, it's useless height."
Chuck sounds off on KAT's Game 2 performance 👀 https://t.co/Cjbq8Co2Qu
Barkley's take on KAT may have been harsh, but he certainly made a solid point. Given Denver's lack of size, Towns should be terrorizing the defense. Instead, he hasn't been able to capitalize on the situation.
Whether this will change in the upcoming games is unknown. However, the T'Wolves will definitely need more production out of him.
Also Read: "NBA needs to simulate this series"- NBA fans are done with the Wolves after Nuggets blow them out in Game 1
Karl-Anthony Towns can turn it up at home
The Minnesota Timberwolves' decision to acquire Rudy Gobert was to allow Karl-Anthony Towns to focus on his offense. Given the versatility of his skillset, Towns can make the most of his game by playing either on the outside or in the post.
While he hasn't had much success as of late, Towns may be able to turn it around at home. KAT is a far more successful 3-point shooter in Minnesota.
Notching an average of 39.3% from beyond the arc as opposed to the 33.8% on the road, Towns can make the most of his offensive bag at home. But this is still dependent on the forward exploiting the match-ups Denver gives him.