Karl-Anthony Towns Talks T-Wolves' Success, NBA Infinite and More in B/R Interview

Karl-Anthony Towns has spent his entire NBA career as the mainstay in Minnesota amid near-constant flux in personnel, the coaching staff and even ownership.

The result has—understandably—been three playoff berths in eight years and zero trips out of the first round.

That all appears set to change in 2024. The Timberwolves head into the NBA All-Star break at 39-16 and have spent most of the first half battling the Oklahoma City Thunder, Los Angeles Clippers and Denver Nuggets for the top seed in the Western Conference.

Towns says the cultural turnaround is a result of organizational cohesion.

"All the pieces came together," Towns said. "I think that we're just doing a great job as a team of staying committed and staying committed to the one goal we have in mind, which is to be the best team and the best version of ourselves every single day, finding that one percent we can get better every day. With that kind of mentality and talent, I think that we found ourselves winning a lot of games."

The All-Star big man spoke to Bleacher Report in January as part of the launch for NBA Infinite, a PvP mobile game launching on iOS and Android devices this month. More than six million people registered to play the game ahead of its release, and Towns—an avid gamer—said he's excited to take NBA mobile gaming to the next level.

"I really enjoy the animations they have in the game," Towns said. "I just played a game of 5v5 and I love that. They really took the time to add some special moves from people. I've seen Euro steps, I've seen double-pump layups, 360 layups in games. It's really cool to be able to have those kinds of animations in a mobile game."

Towns said he's used gaming to help improve his hand-eye coordination and deal with pressure situations, the latter of which may come in handy as the Timberwolves prepare for a playoff run.

Named to his fourth All-Star team, Towns is averaging 22.5 points, 8.4 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game in his ninth NBA season. This is the first time Towns has been named to an All-Star team when he's not been the Timberwolves' leading scorer, as fellow All-Star Anthony Edwards has taken over that mantle.

The ascent of Edwards and the arrival of defensive stalwart Rudy Gobert has allowed Towns to expand his game in other ways, flashing improvement as a playmaker and on the defensive end the last two seasons.

"I could take over the game in multiple different ways. It doesn't always have to end with me putting the orange basketball in the hoop," Towns said. "I can take over the game like I've done times this year defensively. I could take over the game as a playmaker. Or my ability to have defenses gravitate toward me and allow my teammates to get open. So there's multiple different ways I could dominate the game and take over the game. It doesn't always have to fall back onto my talent as a scorer."

When Towns does look to score, he remains arguably the NBA's premier shooter among big men. He's knocking down 43.7 percent of his threes on the season and is a couple extra made free throws away from being a 50-40-90 player for the first time in his career. In 2021, Towns declared himself the greatest big-man shooter of all time and doubled down on that comment in his conversation with B/R.

"I definitely have the confidence and I know the work I put in to my game to do that," Towns said. "And that's no disrespect as the people like Dirk Nowitzki who opened up the doors. The idea of even having that conversation is because of people like him. That has given people my size the ability and the chance to step out and show more of our talent. Just taking the blueprint he's given the NBA and just trying to build on it. It all comes back to Dirk at the end of the day."

Towns also shined a spotlight on Gobert, whose 2022 acquisition drew criticism, for helping him grow as a player. A three-time Defensive Player of the Year, Gobert's presence in the middle has forced Towns away from the rim and into more situations where he's chasing ball-handlers on the perimeter and playing less of a traditional center role on offense.

"I think he's helped me tremendously," Towns said of Gobert. "He helps me to be a better defender, allows me to playmake more gives me a chance to dribble the ball and facilitate at an even higher level. I think Rudy's done a lot for our team first off, but for me, secondly, I think that he's helped me a lot in unlocking me more as a player. And I feel that the feeling is mutual between us. I think that we both help each other expand our games and take a step to the next level."

The camaraderie in the Timberwolves locker room has been a major factor in their success. Towns and Edwards are two of the biggest gamers on the team and often find themselves in competition on the road. Towns said he hopes to get a chance to take the court alongside his real-life teammate in the virtual world with NBA Infinite.

That said, Towns' goals in the virtual world pale in comparison to what he wants to accomplish in real life. This is the first team Towns has played on since he was at Kentucky that has a chance for a deep playoff run, and he was adamant this roster is focused on a singular mission.

"You work hard to have those moments where you can have those runs and the playoffs and be able to hopefully bring your city championships," Towns said. "The playoffs for us doesn't start in April. It started when we started in the preseason for us, when it came to being in Abu Dhabi and building our standards and our foundation as a team. So every day we're working hard to get that one better, to find different ways we can improve as a team and test our discipline and our standards so that when we get to that moment, we're more than prepared."

NBA Infinite will be available on mobile devices Feb. 17.