"Shut up, go out there, and play basketball” - Tim Hardaway Sr. takes shots at Karl-Anthony Towns for claiming he has influenced the game
Karl-Anthony Towns found himself at the receiving end of some harsh words by Tim Hardaway Sr. The Minnesota Timberwolves center went on record to claim that when it's all said and done for him, there would be some people who would say that he changed the game.
Towns made the comments on former Timberwolves teammate Patrick Beverley's podcast. Meanwhile, the latter went ahead and declared KAT as the best center in the game today.
Several fans were shocked by their claims, especially with Towns' lack of team and individual success compared to other bigs.
Genuine question. I genuinely would like y’all to explain to me. What did Karl Anthony Towns change about the NBA? https://t.co/vAJBGt86pE
Former player Tim Hardaway Sr. was among those who deemed those comments outrageous, and he went on an all-out attack on Karl-Anthony Towns, saying (via "The Cartoon Show"):
“You need to win playoff games, Karl-Anthony Towns has 0 series wins. He needs to have a reality check, and in Minnesota, they talk too much! They need to shut up, go out there, and play basketball.”
Hardaway Sr. also named five centers, who he thinks are better than Towns, listing Nikola Jokic, Joel Embiid, Bam Adebayo, Brook Lopez and Domantas Sabonis. Hardaway Sr. pointed out multiple deficiencies in Towns' game, like his lack of playmaking, lack of playoff success, defensive struggles and inability to make timely shots.
.@HardawaySr reveals his 5 centers he believes are better than Karl-Anthony Towns 😅
1. Nikola Jokic
2. Joel Embiid
3. Bam Adebayo
4. Brook Lopez
5. Domantas Sabonis https://t.co/SDGCLYhJWp
Karl-Anthony Towns has the potential but not the credentials to be an influential player
The NBA ranks selective players as influential figures. That includes legends like Julius Erving, Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James and Steph Curry. These superstars have inspired generations in their own ways, and nobody would question their status as players who changed the game.
Karl-Anthony Towns basically put himself in that conversation in the public eye, leading to the outrage against him online. Towns is a three-time NBA All-Star, a three-time All-NBA player and a 3-Point Contest Champion. He also won the Rookie of the Year honors in 2016.
Towns has averaged 23.0 points and 11.2 rebounds per game in his career, shooting at a 52/40/84 split. His 3-point shooting makes him stand out as a modern-day big, and there aren't many centers out there that can match him there.
However, that skillset of Towns is the only thing that has helped him impact the game. Moreover, his regular-season success hasn't translated to the playoffs. In his seven years in the NBA, six as the team's leading player, Towns has made only three playoff appearances and failed to win a series.
He has averaged a lowly 18.6 points per game on 47/33/80 splits in his 16-game playoff career. His versatility offensively makes him a capable player to be in the same conversation as some other greats. However, Karl-Anthony Towns needs more on his resume to self-proclaim himself in that category.