Towns trip to the NBA the fulfillment of a dream

By LARRY VAUGHT

While others are speculating on whether he might be the No. 1 pick in the upcoming NBA draft, Kentucky freshman Karl-Anthony Towns says he’s worried only about things he can control after announcing Thursday that he would put his name into the draft.

“Work hard every day, get my game better every day and just be the best player I can be. That’s all it’s about and that’s all I’m really worried about,” said Towns. “I’m just so happy right now with this moment. Not just for myself, it’s not even how happy I am for myself, but how happy I am for all the other ones that they get to chase their dreams also.”

Towns was one of seven UK players Thursday to announce they were leaving for the NBA after Kentucky’s 38-1 season that was ended by a loss to Wisconsin in the Final Four.

Towns averaged 10.3 points per game -- second best on the team — and 6.7 rebounds per game -- best on the team. He also led UK in blocked shots with 88 and was second in field goal percentage at 56.6 and free throw percentage at 81.3.

He’ll try to bring the same game skills to the NBA.

“Just try to be a versatile big man who can block shots, rebound, also can shoot the J (jumper), even though I didn’t shoot much, but I was very affective inside, so I’ll take that,” Towns said. “I’m anxious to see because I just want to be there. I want to play basketball again. I can’t wait for a season to start, just to win games. That’s what I want to do. That’s all I love to do, not playing the game of basketball but winning. And that’s what I can’t wait to go do.”

He’s not worried about basketball, the game he loves, now becoming his job for a massive salary.

“It’s only a job if you put a title on it. I’m just playing the game I love, I’m playing one of my favorite sports. For you, you may look at it as a job. To me, I look at it as a hobby, something I can just relax and do every day for the rest of my life hopefully,” he said.

NBA draft analyst Ed Isaacson says there is a 50-60 percent chance that Towns will be the No. 1 pick in June depending on which team ends up with the top pick.

“The upside is simple — he is already incredibly skilled for his size and age, and there's no reason to think he won't continue to improve at a fast rate for a while longer. Long-term, I think he will become a versatile offensive weapon, and we may even get to hear about this long-range shooting that was always talked about, but never produced,” Isaacson said.

“The concerns may seem like nitpicking, but they are also important for the NBA level. My biggest concern is how he'll handle playing stronger, more physically imposing players. Through no real fault of his own, Towns spent the season beating up on smaller players, often having a 3-4 inch, and a 20-30 pound,advantage on the guy guarding him. He did have some trouble when players would get physical with him, and I expect NBA players to pick up on this quickly.

“Defensively, Towns was solid, though likely not as good as others may think, mainly because the UK defensive system is based on trying to funnel players towards shot-blockers around the basket. He still has work to do as a post defender, especially with his high rate of fouling, but hopefully this improves with experience and developing a stronger body.”

Towns said going to the NBA was a “very special” for him.

“You don’t ever think that this could happen. The odds are always going to be against you, astronomically. It’s just like winning the lottery. You’ve been able to have a chance to do something special and play a sport you loved playing at the park, and being able to take care of your parents and be able to do something that many people will never be able to have the chance to do,” Towns said.

The freshman’s father, who has worked with him since he was a youngster, got emotional at Thursday’s press conference when Towns and his teammates announced they were heading to the NBA.

“It just shows, I think, all those times that me and him were in the gym, Sundays, and like my mom always tells us, ‘Karl you should let him sleep in, you should let him watch cartoons.’ My dad knew how my passion was for basketball and he was pushing me,” Towns said. “I think in his eyes he just realizes that all the times people have told him that I couldn’t be anything, that I was just going to be another kid who played basketball, most likely would have to do something else than just play the game, I’m able to break the odds, declare. Able to, possibly, make a living playing basketball. And I think that’s the biggest thing for him.”

Towns said he dreamed of the day he would know he was NBA-bound.

“You dream of this moment when you were young and you were playing on a little kid, Fisher-Price, (basketball goal). You just think about these moments that one day hopefully I can be in the same league as the greats like Michael Jordan, Hakeem Olajuwon, Sam Bowie, all these great players, and you just want to be part of the fraternity they were in,” Towns said.

Yet it was his dad, a former college player, not Jordan or someone else that he imitated when he was young.

“I was a big fan of my dad.He’s taught me everything I knew. I thought he knew everything the game had to offer. He was the best player I’ve ever known and I don’t get to this moment without my family, my parents, so I can’t thank them enough,” Towns said.

He was also glad to share his moment with teammates.

“There’s nothing I would’ve wanted this moment to be about without my brothers. I would’ve never wanted to be up there by myself,” Towns said. “That’s not how we roll, that’s not how we do things, that’s not how this family operates, we always do everything together and this is just another thing to show how close this team really was.

“On the biggest day for some of us in our lives we decided not to only do it for ourselves but do it with each other. And that just shows why this team was so special and hopefully we’re remembered not for our talent, but for the unity we had.”

He says he will hve a life-long bond with his UK teammates.

“We’ll be having dinners 30 years from now, just joking, having fun and remembering the times we had this year. It’s a blessing,” Towns said. “When you have a group of guys like I was able to have, a group of brothers, the family I was able to make here, these bonds will never be broken. In other words, they’re deeper than blood.”