Karl-Anthony Towns to Timberwolves: Twitter Reacts to Top Pick in 2015 NBA Draft

Following an excellent freshman season at the University of Kentucky, big man Karl-Anthony Towns didn't have a long wait Thursday night at the 2015 NBA draft, as he was selected with the No. 1 overall pick by the Minnesota Timberwolves.    

Michael Shamburger of the Big Lead posted a photo of Towns celebrating after the Timberwolves made the pick:

Following his arrival on stage to shake commissioner Adam Silver's hand, Towns likely got the T'Wolves fans' hopes up even more based on his comments, per the team's official Twitter account:

Towns also expressed on Vine how excited he is to return his new team to relevance:

In addition to that, Towns discussed those who helped him get to the point of being the class of the 2015 NBA draft, per Kentucky Basketball on Twitter:

Towns also took a moment to reflect on how far he's come over the last two years, according to Jerry Tipton of the Lexington Herald-Leader:

His future teammate, point guard Ricky Rubio, is already looking forward to putting Towns through the usual rookie wringer:

According to ESPN Stats & Info, Towns' selection was a historic moment for the University of Kentucky, as it has produced more No. 1 overall picks since 1966 than any other school:

Towns joins Washington Wizards point guard John Wall and New Orleans Pelicans forward Anthony Davis in that elite class of first overall picks.

It wasn't much of a surprise when Towns went off the board first, as he has long been considered the top prospect in the draft. Kentucky head coach John Calipari was seemingly among those who had no doubts about where Towns would land, per Kyle Tucker of the Courier-Journal:

Towns' parents certainly approved of their son's destination, since it didn't take them long to don their Timberwolves apparel, according to Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune:

The 6'11" star from Piscataway, New Jersey, faced a great deal of pressure to perform during his freshman season with the Wildcats, and he rose to the challenge. His per-game averages of 10.3 points, 6.7 rebounds and 2.3 blocks were somewhat modest but still impressive considering he played just over 21 minutes per contest.

Towns had to share the spotlight at Kentucky with other highly touted players such as Willie Cauley-Stein, Devin Booker and Trey Lyles, so the fact that he was still able to stand out speaks to how talented he is.

It can be argued that Towns is the most complete player in the draft. He excels around the basket both offensively and defensively but also has the ability to handle the ball and shoot from mid-range.

According to ESPN Stats & Info, Towns was especially dominant on the defensive end of the floor during his freshman campaign:

Towns seemingly has all the tools needed to be an All-Star player at the NBA level, and the T'Wolves clearly see that in him as well.

ESPN's Skip Bayless has little doubt that the T'Wolves landed themselves an elite player with the No. 1 overall draft pick:

Brian K. Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel doesn't necessarily disagree with that assessment, but he doesn't see Towns lasting too long in Minnesota:

"

To surprise of no one, Karl-Anthony Towns goes No. 1 to deep-freeze in Minnesota. Six years from now, he'll be a Laker.

— Brian K. Schmitz (@MagicInsider) June 25, 2015"

If the T'Wolves manage to hang on to Towns over the long haul, though, it isn't outside the realm of possibility that he could become their next Kevin Garnett.

The versatile big man will be paired with shooting guard and fellow No. 1 overall pick Andrew Wiggins, and if both players live up to their potential, they could very well be the NBA's top duo for many years to come.

Minnesota's fans have suffered to the tune of zero playoff appearances since 2004, but that figures to change in the near future provided Towns is as good as advertised.

Follow @MikeChiari on Twitter.