Timberwolves' Towns Records 5th Double-Double Through 7 Games
Minnesota Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns recorded his fifth double-double of the season during Tuesday's 104-95 loss to the Charlotte Hornets, thus becoming just the fourth player in the last 30 seasons to have five double-doubles through the first seven games of his career, per NBA.com/stats.
Selected first overall in the 2015 NBA Draft, Towns began his professional career with a 14-point, 12-board performance against the Los Angeles Lakers on Oct. 28.
He then exploded for a 28 and 14 in the very next game against the Denver Nuggets on Oct. 30, adding four blocks and two assists in a 95-78 win.
Although Towns has come somewhat back to Earth since that second game, he has still started each of Minnesota's first seven contests, averaging 16.0 points, 10.4 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 3.0 blocks, 0.3 steals and 1.7 turnovers in 29 minutes per game.
He's in good company with the five double-doubles through seven games, as each of the other three players to accomplish the feat—Shaquille O'Neal, Dikembe Mutombo and David Robinson—is either enshrined in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame or a lock to be inducted soon.
Even with New York Knicks forward Kristaps Porzingis off to an impressive start of his own, the 19-year-old Towns is a clear favorite for Rookie of the Year honors.
