Karl-Anthony Towns to Timberwolves Doubters: 'Keep Sleeping on Us'

The Western Conference is loaded heading into the 2019-20 season, with a number of teams looking like title contenders and only a few that seem unlikely to be in the playoff mix.

The Minnesota Timberwolves appear to be on the fringe of potential playoff contention this year, though superstar Karl-Anthony Towns expects the team to make noise.

"Everyone always sleeps on people in Minnesota because they don't hear our name a lot," he said, per RealGM. "That's fine. That's cool. We are going to come from the underground and just find ourselves in the playoffs if we continue to do what we're doing. ... It's fine. Keep sleeping on us."

As for how the Wolves go from being a 36-46 team a year ago to a playoff contender, Towns said it's about establishing an identity and sticking to it:

"We have to play our game of basketball. It doesn't matter about being anyone. We have to play to our standards. We have to play the way we play. We don't have time to waste looking at other people and worrying about being the second version of this team and that team. We got to worry about being the first version of us and playing our style of basketball.

And if people beat us playing our style of basketball, you salute them and move on to the next team. If we play the way we know how to play the way, especially with what I have seen in training camp and when we're at our best, there are not a lot of teams that have a chance to beat us."

There's little doubt the Wolves have talent.

Towns is an offensive juggernaut and has the ability to be impactful on the defensive end, which would vault him into the territory of two-way forces like Joel Embiid and Anthony Davis. Andrew Wiggins has immense talent and upside, though he's never been efficient enough on offense or interested enough on defense to put it all together. Robert Covington is an elite defensive wing who spaces the floor on offense with his ability to hit threes. Jarrett Culver oozes potential as a wing scorer. Josh Okogie excited with his athleticism and defense in his rookie year, though he needs polish and an improved jumper.

So the Wolves could be a problem in 2019-20 if their key young players all take a step forward. But a huge onus will fall on the 23-year-old Towns, the team's franchise player. He's incredible on the offensive end, averaging 24.4 points on 51.8 percent shooting from the field and 40 percent from three in 2018-19. He also cleans up the glass, posting 12.4 rebounds per contest.

But if Towns can become an elite interior defender, the Wolves will go to the next level. Covington's ability to disrupt passing lanes and swipe steals, combined with a true defensive stopper at center, would spell trouble for opposing offenses. 

And if that happens, nobody will be sleeping on the Wolves.