Finch: '100 Percent Believe' Karl-Anthony Towns Can Lead Wolves 'Where We Want to Go'

Despite his struggles during the Minnesota Timberwolves' Western Conference Finals loss to the Dallas Mavericks, head coach Chris Finch gave All-Star big man Karl-Anthony Towns a vote of confidence Friday.

According to Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic, Finch said: "I 100 percent believe KAT can help take us where we want to go."

Towns helped the T-Wolves reach the Western Conference Finals for the first time since 2004, but his inconsistent play during the series led to Finch benching him at times in favor of NBA Sixth Man of the Year Naz Reid.

In five games during the Timberwolves' 4-1 series loss to the Mavs in the Western Conference Finals, Towns averaged 19.6 points and 8.4 rebounds per game, but he shot just 37.9 percent from the field and 24.2 percent from beyond the arc.

During the regular season, the 28-year-old Towns averaged 21.8 points, 8.3 rebounds and 3.0 assists per contest, and he was highly efficient, shooting 50.3 percent from the floor and 41.6 percent from deep.

Minnesota took a huge leap forward as a team this season, going 56-26 and earning the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference after going 42-40 last season and barely sneaking into the playoffs as the No. 8 seed.

Towns was a big reason for the improvement, as he went from playing in only 29 games due to injury in 2022-23 to playing in 62 games this season.

KAT also played well in Minnesota's second-round playoff series win over the 2023 NBA champion Denver Nuggets, averaging 18.6 points and 9.1 rebounds, and shooting 51.0 percent from the field and 39.4 percent from downtown.

Just one year earlier, the T-Wolves fell to the Nuggets in five games in the first round of the playoffs, which speaks to how far they came.

Along with Towns staying healthier and playing well for much of the season, center Rudy Gobert was much improved in his second season with the Timberwolves, earning Defensive Player of the Year honors.

Also, guard Anthony Edwards went from an All-Star to one of the top players in the league, as he finished seventh in NBA MVP voting.

Towns, Edwards, Gobert, Reid and Mike Conley are all under contract for next season, so Minnesota should be a championship contender again even if it makes limited changes.

However, if Towns doesn't perform better on the big stage next season, it will perhaps be time for the Timberwolves to consider some drastic changes.