Minnesota Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns will be named the NBA’s Rookie of the Year later on today.
Towns, the first overall pick in the 2015 Draft, put up 18.1 points, 10.7 rebounds and swatted away 1.7 shot attempts a night.
The 20-year-old played in all 82 regular seasons games, and helped Minny win 13 more games than they did the previous season.
Per the AP:
From the night of the NBA draft all the way to the end of his first season, Towns stood head and shoulders above the rest of his rookie class.
Towns turned 20 early in the season, but showed the polish and poise of a veteran from the very early stages of his arrival. His ability to pass, rebound, block shots and score from the paint and 3-point line make him the quintessential big man for the modern era and give the Timberwolves hope that they have finally found the star players needed to carry them out of the abyss.
Towns is the second straight Timberwolves player to win the Rookie of the Year award after teammate Andrew Wiggins had a similarly convincing debut. Add to those two young stars a promising supporting cast including Zach LaVine, Ricky Rubio, Gorgui Dieng and Shabazz Muhammad that will be coached next season by Tom Thibodeau, and the Wolves believe they have the ingredients to finally end a 12-season playoff drought.
