Minnesota Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns. Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

Charles Barkley pinpoints area of improvement for Karl-Anthony Towns

By Adam Taylor | Last updated 4/28/24

The Minnesota Timberwolves are one game away from sweeping the Phoenix Suns in the opening round of the Western Conference playoffs. They have dominated on both sides of the floor. Karl-Anthony Towns, due to his size and ability to shoot from the perimeter, has been a significant factor in the series.

However, Charles Barkley believes the veteran big man should embrace playing in the post more. He believes Towns' scoring ability would generate additional double teams from the defense, allowing the Timberwolves to create easier shots around the perimeter.

"Karl-Anthony Towns, for me, is the difference [in this series,]" Barkley said. "He drives me crazy shooting all those threes. I have no problem with him shooting the three every now and then. But, he never takes advantage of his size advantage. Because Rudy [Gobert] is gonna be playing the bigger guy most of the time, Karl-Anthony Towns gonna have a mismatch every single night. I'm like, 'if you would post up, you would get a lot of baskets, but you would also force them to double you.'"

To be an elite big man in the modern NBA, you've got to be capable of draining threes. Towns is among the most talented centers in the NBA, as his size allows him to be a force on the glass and in the post. However, his scoring ability is the primary reason why the Timberwolves can use a double-big lineup without their spacing suffering. Towns being on the perimeter is what makes Chris Finch's team tick.

If Towns did begin playing on the interior more frequently, it would need to be while Gobert was off the court. Two bigs can't consistently operate inside the paint in the modern NBA. Teams would quickly find advantages and take control of the game.

If Towns is the only big on the floor for stretches, putting him in the post would make sense for Minnesota. However, given how dominant Minnesota has been during their opening series, it doesn't make sense to make any changes to the offensive system at present. Still, Finch may be forced to make changes deeper into the playoffs. Perhaps then we will see what Towns can offer in the post.

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