Karl Anthony-Towns hadn’t missed a single NBA game until Friday, when he was placed into concussion protocol following a car accident.
Karl Anthony-Towns hadn’t missed a single game in his young NBA career, tallying up over 300 consecutive games played. For being a 7 footer, he’s remarkably durable, and has yet to sustain an on-the-court injury to keep him out of games.
Unfortunately for Towns, he was involved in a car accident Thursday night. He was not the driver, but was still placed under the NBA concussion protocol, causing him to miss his first ever game on Friday against the Knicks in New York.
The Wolves ended up winning the game 115-104, with Derrick Rose leading the way with 20 points off the bench. Taj Gibson also had 19 points and 10 rebounds while Andrew Wiggins added 17. As it was the first game Karl’s ever missed, the Wolves are now 1-0 without him in the lineup.
Towns has been having a solid season, with averages of 23 points, 12 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 blocks and 1 steal per game. His turnovers are up and his shooting is down to 51% from the field and 39% from three, still highly respectable numbers by any measure of shooter. The Timberwolves are 27-30 with Towns in the lineup, and are close behind the Lakers in the Western conference standings.
Teammates were all glad that Towns wasn’t seriously injured in the accident, and it helped put life into perspective for guard Tyus Jones. Life is very delicate and nothing is guaranteed, things like freak accidents can occur at anytime. Life doesn’t give passes to star basketball players, but it’s a blessing the 23 year old wasn’t injured.
Looking Ahead
Minnesota’s next game is Saturday against the Milwaukee Bucks. Towns is traveling with the team, but is still listed as day-to-day as he needs to complete the concussion protocol testing before resuming play. The streaking Bucks are 44-14 this season, and 9-1 in their last 10. Giannis and Middleton have been dominant this season, leading to their surprising best record in the league.
Karl Anthony-Towns is one of the most dedicated and durable players there are, so it definitely is a shock to see the Wolves play without him suited up. Towns is in his fourth year as a pro, coming off an All-NBA 3rd Team selection last year and winning Rookie of the Year in 2016.
He seemed to struggle with the clashing personality of Jimmy Butler, who frequently taunted Towns and called him soft. Towns didn’t seem to appreciate the heckling, and it seemed to affect his confidence and play. With Towns talent, skill, and natural gift, Butler believed Towns needed to be more of a leader and set an example for his teammates. Towns prefers to be a teamplayer, but can be unselfish to a fault at times.
It’s still unknown whether Towns will play on Saturday, but if he’s healthy expect him to go. He’s a fierce competitor and loves the game, his 300+ streak of games played attributes to that. Let us hope for no more accidents and injuries, so we can watch some beautiful basketball being played.
