"He's more like Sam Cassell of big men" - Former Warriors center breaks down why Nikola Jokic outshines Karl Anthony Towns
A debate started about Karl-Anthony Towns being more skilled than Nikola Jokic. Austin Rivers, who played with both big men, picked Towns over the three-time NBA MVP. Former Golden State Warriors center DeMarcus Cousins, though, didn't agree with Rivers' take.
On FanDuel TV's Run It Back, Cousins was asked by Chandler Parsons regarding the Jokic-Towns debate. He preferred "The Joker" even though there isn't any "flash" in his game. He even compared Jokic with current Boston Celtics assistant coach and three-time NBA champion Sam Cassell.
"He's more like Sam Cassell of big men," Cousins said. "He'll back you down all the way down the floor. There's not a lot of flash to Jokic's game, but, obviously, it's a high-level skill to dominate the way he is with the lack of athleticism."
DeMarcus Cousins praised Karl-Anthony Towns for being one of the best shooting big men ever. Cousins also thinks that Towns plays with too much "flash," but Nikola Jokic's passing and playmaking are difficult to overlook.
The four-time NBA All-Star played with Jokic during his time with the Denver Nuggets, so he knows what he's talking about. "The Joker" is considered the best player in the league, winning the MVP three times in the last four years, and is among the favorites to win it all this year.
As for Towns, the Minnesota Timberwolves traded him to the New York Knicks during training camp and acquired Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo in return.
KAT is averaging 24.9 points, 12.3 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 0.9 blocks per game in his first season in New York. He's the second option, behind Jalen Brunson, but is averaging his most points since the 2019-20 NBA season. He's also averaging a double-double for the first time since the 2020-21 NBA season.
What did Austin Rivers say about Nikola Jokic and Karl-Anthony Towns?
Austin Rivers opened the debate about Nikola Jokic and Karl-Anthony Towns in an episode of his Offguard podcast. Rivers believes that while Jokic is the best player in the league, Towns is a better scorer. The only thing "The Joker" has better than KAT is his passing.
"Karl is a better scorer and almost every attribute of the game over Nikola," Rivers said.
"He's an average shooter, he's not a good three-point shooter. I didn't say he's a better player. I already said Nikola is the best player in the NBA, but if we are talking about offensive skillset, Karl can score more, so what does Nikola do better than him other than pass?"
Rivers played with Jokic for a season and a half, while he was teammates with Towns in his final year in the league in the 2022-23 campaign.