Karl-Anthony Towns shines in return to town | Lakers looking for trades?

Summary

The Athletic NBA Daily: "Karl-Anthony Towns Shines in Return to Town | Lakers Looking for Trades?"
Release Date: December 20, 2024
Hosts: Dave DeFore, Zena Keita, Esfandiar Baraheni
Featuring: John Krasinski, Yovon Buha

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1. Karl-Anthony Towns’ Triumphant Return to Minnesota

Host Introduction ([02:49]):
Dave DeFore opens the episode highlighting Karl-Anthony Towns’ return to Minnesota after being traded to the New York Knicks. Hosting special guest John Krasinski, they delve into Towns' impressive performance against his former team.

John Krasinski on Towns’ Performance ([04:40]):
"Watching Karl-Anthony Towns dominate the Timberwolves was surreal. His 32 points and 20 rebounds showcased his growth and dominance, something the Timberwolves currently lack without him."
Krasinski emphasizes Towns' evolution into a more settled and dominant player in his tenth year, contrasting it with the Timberwolves' struggles in his absence.

Analysis of the Game ([03:07] & [06:06]):
Dave and Xena discuss the game's flow, expressing confusion and boredom over the Timberwolves' strategies without Towns. Krasinski further analyzes the Timberwolves' offensive stagnation, attributing it to the lack of a perimeter threat and the ineffective integration of Julius Randle and Anthony Edwards.

2. Timberwolves' Offensive Struggles and Potential Lineup Changes

Offensive Issues ([04:02] - [10:51]):
John Krasinski breaks down the Timberwolves' offensive woes, highlighting the team's reliance on isolation plays with Julius Randle and Anthony Edwards leading to stagnation. He points out the limited effectiveness of their current lineup and the necessity for strategic changes to regain offensive momentum.

Proposed Solutions ([08:35] - [13:08]):
Krasinski suggests exploring different starting rotations, such as incorporating Nas Reed for his shooting capabilities or adjusting Julius Randle’s role. The discussion also touches on the potential for integrating emerging players like Nikhil Alexander-Walker and giving more minutes to Jaden McDaniels and Mike Conley to enhance both offensive and defensive performance.

Host’s Perspective ([06:51] - [10:51]):
Dave DeFore concurs with Krasinski, emphasizing the need for defensive competitiveness alongside offensive tweaks. He questions whether the Timberwolves will seek internal adjustments or pursue external trades to address their deficiencies before the Christmas trade deadline.

3. Lakers’ Trade Speculations and Team Needs

Guest Insight with Yovon Buha ([14:38] - [25:51]):
Switching focus to the Los Angeles Lakers, host Dave DeFore interviews Yovon Buha about the ongoing trade rumors surrounding the team. Buha outlines the Lakers' pressing needs, including an athletic point guard, a three-and-D wing, and a strong big man.

Potential Trade Targets ([19:47] - [22:54]):
Buha identifies Walker Kessler and Cam Johnson as realistic trade acquisitions that could address the Lakers' defensive and shooting needs. He critiques the Lakers’ rumored interest in Jonas Valanciunas, questioning the rationale behind targeting a player whose defensive mobility and recent performances have been subpar.

Strategic Moves and Team Dynamics ([22:35] - [25:51]):
Buha discusses the Lakers' offensive inconsistencies, attributing them to shifts in offensive focus from Anthony Davis to LeBron James. He highlights the necessity for the Lakers to invest in their core players and draft capital to break free from mediocrity and achieve a more balanced and effective lineup.

4. Changes to the NBA All-Star Format

All-Star Game Overhaul ([15:33] - [17:39]):
Dave DeFore and Yovon Buha explore the NBA's revamped All-Star format, which now features three teams of eight players each, including a Rising Stars team competing in a four-team tournament. Buha shares insights from conversations with LeBron James, who expressed reservations about the increase in three-point shooting and hinted at underlying issues within modern basketball.

LeBron’s Longevity and Adaptation ([18:00] - [25:51]):
Buha reflects on LeBron James’ adaptability and his impending achievement of becoming the NBA’s all-time minutes leader. He underscores LeBron’s shift towards perimeter play and three-point shooting as a strategy to maintain longevity and effectiveness, despite ongoing debates about the sport's evolving dynamics.

5. Closing Remarks and Upcoming Segments

Final Thoughts ([25:51] - [29:12]):
Dave DeFore wraps up the episode by reiterating the critical analyses provided by his guests and encourages listeners to read more from The Athletic’s contributors. He teases upcoming segments, including coverage of DeAndre Hunter's dunks and Trey Young's missed free throws, before announcing the next episode, "Slam and Jam."

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Notable Quotes with Timestamps:

• John Krasinski ([04:40]):
  "I've always felt like people didn't fully appreciate who Karl-Anthony Towns is as a player. Seeing him dominate against the Timberwolves was a testament to his development and the Timberwolves' current shortcomings."

• Yovon Buha ([20:58]):
  "The Lakers need to invest in their core and draft capital. Without addressing their fundamental needs—athletic point guard, three-and-D wing, and a strong big man—they're stuck on the treadmill of mediocrity."

• John Krasinski ([09:23]):
  "The Timberwolves are facing persistent offensive problems. Without significant changes in their lineup or strategy, they're likely to continue struggling to find rhythm and flow in their games."

• Yovon Buha ([17:39]):
  "LeBron has adapted his game over the years to stay effective, but the increase in three-point shooting is here to stay. Balancing LeBron's role with maintaining offensive efficiency is crucial for the Lakers."

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This comprehensive summary captures the key discussions and insights from the episode, providing listeners with an in-depth understanding of Karl-Anthony Towns' impact, the Timberwolves' challenges, Lakers' trade considerations, and the NBA All-Star Game's evolution. For detailed analyses and more, listeners are encouraged to explore The Athletic’s coverage.

Transcript

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[Dave DeFore]

Good morning and welcome to the NBA Daily for December 20, 2024. Coming up, Karl Anthony Towns was back in town in Minnesota. So we got John Krasinski to talk about it. Jovan Buha stopped in to me about some Lakers trades. Xena, why are people complaining about ratings?

[Xena Keda]

Isn't that, like, the thing to do?

[Dave DeFore]

I guess it's boring. Good morning, everybody. Good morning, Xena. Good evening, John Krasinski. Live from Wolves, Knicks Carl Anthony Town's big return to town after being traded away to the Knicks. And man, Xena, this game, at times I just felt like I was confused by what the Wolves were trying to do. I was shocked that Carl Anthony Towns played like this, and the game got a little bit boring after a minute.

[Xena Keda]

Yeah, I don't think I. I was watching the game started with a solid, like, oh, look, Timberwolves got it together. They're showing up. And I think I fell asleep towards the third, woke up at the top of the fourth. So, yeah, it was tough. It was a tough watch.

[Dave DeFore]

Well, John, you. You were there. You've covered this team for a long time. You covered Carl Anthony Towns for his entire career. I want to ask you, just personally, what was it like having him back in Minnesota and then to see him come through with this sort of performance? I mean, just. The statistics are pretty incredible. Tom Thibodeau, it was just effusive in the praise that he gave him. And I do want to put the numbers out there because I do think they're important. 32 points, 20 rebounds, six assists, two steals, five of five from three. Man, that would have looked good on the Wolves tonight.

[John Krasinski]

It sure would have, Dave. I mean, you know, you're right. I. I've covered him his whole career. I've heard him disparaged, discounted, knocked down his whole career. And some of it has been valid, the criticism that he's gotten, certainly. But I've always felt like a lot of people didn't really look at the full context of who he is as a player, what the Timberwolves did and didn't do around him. And to see him kind of return here and absolutely lay waste to the Timberwolves was just a weird feeling. You know, I went to New York for the preseason game with them and you. So I've seen him in a Knicks uniform before, but to see him in a Knicks uniform at Target center, it was definitely weird. You know, it's kind of like this is really happening. And there he was. You know, I Remember when he was a baby faced 19 year old kid coming in as a number one overall pick and kind of going through all of the things both positively and negatively that he did. And now it does appear that in year 10, coming off of a Western Conference finals run, you know, with a really good team around him, now that he's just really settled into who he is as a player and he looks just incredibly dominant and it was a glaring cause everything he did tonight is exactly what the Timberwolves lack right now.

[Xena Keda]

It was so awkward to see like the way that Kat showed back up in town, 30 points. I think he was the first player in NBA history to do what he did against the Timberwolves. Like perfectly fitting. And then on the complete opposite side of the ball, we have to remember there was a trade made and Julius Randle walks off the court, does not shake hands, does not engage with his old teammates. Like the complete opposite experience. Right. For the other person on the end of this, the Wolves have to answer to. They lost the trade and today they put it on national television. What is the answer for what we just saw, especially offensively, AKA what we didn't see?

[John Krasinski]

Yeah, I think it's, I mean they are searching right now offensively and I think the, you know, there's some glaring, glaring problems right now with the way that Julius Randle wants to be effective and the way that the team overall wants to do it. I mean you're talking about a very isolation heavy player. Anthony Edwards is an isolation heavy player as well. And so you put the two of them together and you just see stagnancy all of the time. I mean in the second quarter I think they had two points in the first five minutes of the quarter and most of the possessions that they had in the half court were either no pass or one pass possessions and it was over with. And part of that is, you know, the way that Edwards and and Randall like to probe and because Carl Anthony Towns is not there as the spacer, as the real threat on the perimeter. Opponenting defenses can pack the paint against Anthony Edwards and so he drives downhill and there are two or three guys at the rim every single time because he's on the floor with Julius Randle, Rudy Gobert and Jaden McDaniels who are not threats to score from the perimeter. And so they, I think they're getting close now they're 26 games into the season to really having to ask themselves, do you make a real change in the starting lineup? Do you look at putting Nas Reed who is a better shooter. Even though he has really shot the ball poorly this season, he is a better shooter from the perimeter at the 4. And do you try to put Julius Randle in more of a featured role with the second unit, something like that? Because everything else that they have tried offensively has just not worked even remotely so far, and they have to find a way to get a rhythm and get a flow going.

[Dave DeFore]

I. I'd argue that Nas Reed's level of competitiveness defensively gets him in the starting lineup, not just what he brings on the offensive end. So that's been me, actually, since the trade was made. I. I thought that Naz Reed should have been the starter. You know, I understand the personalities involved, but at this point, like you just said, I mean, you're 26. I mean, Christmas is literally next week, and a lot of teams know that they're kind of stuck where they're at if they don't make changes come Christmas time. This is who you are right now. So let me ask you, what's on the table for them? You know, is it. Is it all internal, or is this another team like the Lakers and, you know, like we just saw with the warriors that's going to be out on the market looking for someone and maybe even looking to move some of the guys that they've got?

[John Krasinski]

Yeah, I mean, I do think one thing, one bit of perspective right now for them is that. That you'll hear them say is, hey, tonight was terrible, there's no doubt about it. But we had just won six of seven, and they had started to put some things together, at least defensively where they looked really, really good. Now we can look at some of the opponents that they were playing, and they weren't the strongest, but they were absolutely dominating those games defensively against those opponents. And so I don't think that they feel internally that the sky is falling right now, but they definitely have to have their eyes open to the idea of changes, either internally with rotations and starting lineups, or possibly looking at some trades. Tim Connolly has already proven to be one of the most aggressive general managers in the entire league in terms of making big trades. They don't have a ton of ammunition to really make a wholesale big trade. I mean, you can move Randall, but does he have a big market right now? That's going to be a problem with, you know, him being able to be a free agent at the end of the season and, you know, just the way that he's playing so far. So I don't know that there's like a magic bullet they can fire from a trade perspective. But I do think that they do have to look at doing some things differently because offensively, they're running into the same problems every single night. And if they keep trying to do what they've been doing all along, you're going to get the same results.

[Xena Keda]

See, that was going to be. My question is like, I. I'm also in the same boat of like, I saw five capable teams being held under 100 points by the Minnesota Timberwolves. There is some credit to be given for that. And I'm wondering how much does the. How much of the Timberwolves believe that their defense can shape up like this was an aberration? This isn't what we're usually doing. We're capable of playing enough defense that even if we're not scoring, it still will balance out.

[John Krasinski]

Yeah, Zenith. I do think that they have a lot of confidence in their defense. Today was terrible. There's no question about that. But given that, you know, it wasn't even just under a hundred, it was like 92 or below. Like, that's a minuscule number that they were holding teams to tonight. They did not have it for whatever reason. Rudy Gobert was terrible tonight. You know, there just was not the same energy, the same intensity that they had been showing. So I think that they feel like in general they can get back to somewhere around, you know, definitely a top five defense in the league. I think that, you know, there are going to be nights like this where the other team hits a lot of shots and you just chalk it up and you shake their hand. But I think the greater problem for them is that when that defense isn't there, they do not have the offense to win shootouts. At least right now, everything is too difficult for them all. They're not generating easy looks. And when they do generate them, Dante DiVincenzo or Nas Reed or. Or Mike Conley, Jaden McAn are missing those open shots. So, yeah, they have to find a way to be in games and win games when you just don't quite have the same kind of defensive juice that. That. That they're normally used to having.

[Dave DeFore]

Yeah, I mean, look, it's a. It's a little bit of a similar problem to what they had last year, but they didn't. They didn't have Towns, who was this just incredible offensive threat. I mean, you know, you replaced him with Julius Randall and Dante DiVincenzo, who have both. It's been disappointing so far. So any other is There any other lineup shakeup that you might see coming here in the next, you know, few weeks or month? I mean, Nikhil Alexander Walker's been so good. I just think that he is one of the best five players, you know, does he get more run?

[John Krasinski]

Yeah, I mean, I think you could look at that. But then I think that the antidote or the compensation for that is probably playing Jaden McDaniels a little less. And Jaden has actually played really well of late tonight. Tonight was up and down, but, and kind of quiet. But in general lately, last two, three weeks, he's been really, really good offensively and defensively and so. And Mike Conley would be the other guy that you would cut minutes for for Nikhil. But Mike has been so important for any kind of offensive organization or structure. He is their only real quarterback. And so you hesitate to do that as well. I do think you did see tonight that Chris Finch did try to play Rob Dillingham a little bit more. And that is kind of, you know, a spark plug guy who, you know, he's a rookie, he's 19 years old, he's figuring things out, but he has a little more electricity and juice in him offensively and can maybe get the ball into transition opportunities a little bit more. And so I would think that they might try to continue to put him out there and just you might have to sink or swim with him a little bit. And until he gets a feel for this game, because he is, you're going to need him over, you know, by the playoffs, but certainly over the next couple of years as Mike Conley ages out of this. So that's one more guy that I think could use a little bit more time, even though tonight it did not go well for him.

[Dave DeFore]

Yeah, they had a rough night. I mean, look, it was the Knicks night. They, they were absolutely fantastic. Perfect. It was a perfect game for the Knicks. Perfect night for John Krasinski. Thank you very much. Go and read him over at the Athletic guys. Stick around. After the break, I sat down with Yovon Buha. Xena, believe it or not, the Lakers are looking to make some trades. Well, the Lakers were not able to go back to back in the in season tournament, NBA Cup. I, I, you know, I've been making the distinction between the two because of the branding change. So we were able to get Yovon Buha to stop in and talk to us a little bit. Yovon, how, how's it been going watching the NBA cup from home?

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It's been nice. I, I did enjoy the weekend in Vegas last year. But it just is nice to watch from home sometimes.

[Dave DeFore]

Yeah, well, okay, so a bunch of stuff happened while we were there. You know, every league gets together, something comes out and usually now it's been All Star related. You know, you were talking to LeBron today. It seems like the stars of this league weren't totally consulted on the, the changes to the All Star format. And just in case people don't know and you're listening, they've, they've switched things up. They're going to have three teams of eight collected of the 24 NBA All Stars plus a team from the rising stars. The winner of the rising stars game in a four team tournament format and you know, to 40 points target score with a champion being crowned. Doesn't seem like the players like that all that much. Yovon.

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No. And LeBron stopped at the point of criticizing it to the extent that players like Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and his teammate Anthony Davis just criticized over the last couple of days. But LeBron was implying some level of criticism. He acknowledged that something had to change with the game, but he also said that this is part of a bigger issue going on with basketball right now. And he pointed at the three point increase in terms of volume and just how the game has changed so dramatically since he's been in the league. So he every, he kept giving us some kernels and then when we, we would follow up with a follow up question, he would stop short and just be like, you know, I don't want to talk about this, but if you're going to ask, you know, I, I think there's too many FN threes going on right now. But then, you know, what's your solution? Well, I don't want to talk about it right now. So he kept kind of teasing us in terms of what his, his fix was for the All Star Game, his fix for the three point uptick. But he did, you know, it seemed to indicate that he, he thinks the NBA needed to change something, but this is not quite what he thought they should have done.

[Dave DeFore]

Okay, so he also shoots more threes. So is this a little bit of be the change you want to see in the world? Like should we expect LeBron to. Now that he's publicly stated there are too many threes being shot, should we expect to see a downturn in his volume?

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I don't think so.

[Dave DeFore]

I think it's so the reason we.

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Got LeBron today is because once he plays his 10th minute against the Kings on Thursday night, he will become the NBA's all time minutes leader in the regular season. He's already the all time minutes leader between the regular season and postseason, but now it'll be official in the regular season. He'll pass Kareem Abdul Jabbar. So we were talking to him about longevity and his career and what's the key to playing so many minutes, so many years, etc. And he said for him a big thing has just been adapting throughout his career to the whims of the league and more recently that's been pace and space and three point shooting. So he did acknowledge that he has changed his game from where it was 10 years ago, 15 years ago, etc. But I think the three point shooting is here to stay. It's certainly for him it's less taxing than driving to the rim, getting clobbered in the paint.

[Dave DeFore]

Yeah, I mean, and honestly any change they make is going to be a fundamental change to the sport. I mean it just, I think it's too wholesale. At least we arrived here organically. Like this was a natural part of like progression to too much three point volume, which I, I tend to agree with aesthetically. It does kind of mess things up. The long rebounds are kind of weird. But going back to the Lakers, December 15th just passed. The seal has been broken on trade season. Dennis Schroeder, obviously now a warrior, they made that move. Thomas Bryant is a pacer, you know, big swing there for Indiana. And the Lakers are the team that they are involved with. Every single player's name that comes up, I mean everybody. Zach Levine's been on that list for multiple years. You know, is there a guy out there that they can go and get? Realistically, that makes a fundamental change to where they're going to wind up this season.

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It's almost like a rite of passage at this point for NBA role players to be attached to the Lakers in trade rumors. It's like, you know, you've arrived once you've been linked to the Lakers, but. But I'm not quite sure that there is. I would look at two guys in particular for me that seem to be realistic trade possibilities in Walker Kessler and Cam Johnson. I think if they were able to add either one of those or potentially both of them, depending on the ultimate asking prices, I mean, you could send a first to Utah and a first to Brooklyn. Those two players, I think among what the Lakers need and who seems to be out there, I think those two could potentially be difference makers. But I think the larger point with that is I don't see this as a one trade fixes everything situation. I think they have to make two separate moves and the guy that they've been most closely linked to around the league has been Jonas Valanchunas. It's been the worst kept secret dating back to the summer when he was on LeBron's list of guys he was willing to take a pay cut for. I was surprised by that. Looking at the rest of the list. It was like Klay Thompson, James Harden, DeMar DeRozan and then Jonas Valentunas.

[Dave DeFore]

Well, you have to remember, you have to remember they watched him in the World cup. This guy, I mean they watched him bruise in the World Cup. I think that changed, changed the mindset.

[Apple Card Ad]

But I also watched him in the regular season finale get played off the floor against the Lakers and then they them do it again one game later in the play in tournament against the Pelicans. So I don't get how they could watch those two games and them attacking him in the pick and roll and attacking his defensive mobility and then turn around and be like, we need this guy on our team. I just don't get it. So I've personally been against the potential fit of Valencianas. Like I get they want a tough, physical guy who could bang with Jokic in the post, but I would rather go for a guy like a Walker Kessler or even roll the dice with a guy like Robert Williams where those guys are just better rim protectors, shop lockers and have a bit more mobility defensively. But I think that the two fixes for them have to be a better interior defender and a better 3 and D type wing or at least, you know, wing shooter, wing defender, at least check one of the boxes. If not ideally both. So I guess you could throw in maybe Dorian Finney Smith though he is, you know, hitting his mid-30s. He has been playing more like 4.4.5 this year. Not quite the, you know, the wing stopper that they need, but I think they need to do something because the status quo is not working. If you look at the record against teams above.500, if you look at the skid they've been on, losing eight of 12, I just don't think this group is good enough as constructed. And unless they're gonna tear it all down, which I just reported that they are not planning to.

[Dave DeFore]

Right.

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[Dave DeFore]

Of mediocrity you know, I read your article right before we went to record this and I mean, they basically need 3/5 of a starting lineup. If I'm going based on your info.

[Apple Card Ad]

Right.

[Dave DeFore]

You're. They need an athletic point guard, they need a three and D wing. They need a big who can help rebound and, and pound the paint. Right? That is literally. They need a basketball team. This team isn't that bad. They, they have had some success and the early season success offensively, like it just disappeared. What, what happened there.

[Apple Card Ad]

Yeah, well, so I, I think to, to go back to the three needs that they've had. Those are three needs they identified last season as well. And they have yet to really check any of those boxes. So I even said in the story, I don't think it's realistic for them to check all three of those. You can probably check two at most. And I think again, the two that they need to check are the big man and the three. And the wing. Big wing. Like they've just not had that really player going on almost four years now. But as for the offense, a big thing was they shifted the offense more toward LeBron and they had the first like 15 games or so where they ran things through Anthony Davis. They were very organized and they were running the pretty offensive sets that NBA Twitter loves to break down, that JJ Redick has implemented. But then around the 15 game mark, there was a pivot to getting LeBron more involved because at that point LeBron was posting a career low usage rate and he at times took shots at the offense and shots at his own role within it. So I think clearly there was some internal discussion to get LeBron more involved. The issue is LeBron then went on arguably the worst slump of his career, or at least the worst slump since his rookie season, and the offense just fell apart. And I think there's been an acknowledgment, especially dating back to last week with the whole NBA cup schedule and them having some time off of. We need to get back to playing the offense that we were playing earlier in the season. So we do need to find that balance of keeping LeBron happy and making sure he's getting his pick and roll reps and he's playing the spread style of offense that he likes to play. But at the same time we need to keep AD involved. He's our best player, he's our offensive fulcrum and we need to make sure that, that we just got to figure out a better blend between the two and not be so, you know, such a stark contrast in terms of how the offense looks night to night. So interestingly, their defense they've had their last three games have been their three best defensive performances of the season from a defensive rating perspective. So the defense is trending in the right direction. The offense continues to be a mess. And if you look at this group, it's an offensive minded group like, but beyond LeBron and AD, it's Austin, Reeves, Rui Huchamura, D'Angelo, Russell, Dalton, connect. Like these are all guys who trend more toward the offensive end. So I think if this team is going to hit their ceiling, it's got to be behind a top five, top eight offense at worst. And right now they've been an average offense for going on almost a month. So they got to figure that out and out. Because if they're not an average offense at a bad defense, like that's just a bad team. Yeah, I mean they got to get back to doing what they were doing earlier.

[Dave DeFore]

Pretty plain and simple. Cut and dry. Yeah, go and check them out, guys. Go read them at the Athletic, follow them on the app. You know all the ways in which you can read Yovon Buha over the Athletic, all his Laker coverage found there. That's going to do it for today's show, folks. We didn't even have time. Zena to talk about the Wimby dunk, the DeAndre Hunter dunk, Trey Young missing game winning free throws. That's just the one.

[Xena Keda]

Keonte George Dunk. Have time for the 51 point loss by the Warriors.

[Dave DeFore]

Yeah, the warriors had a rough one, but don't worry, we got slam and jam coming up tomorrow. They're going to recap the whole week to make up for the fact that we were in Vegas trying to stay alive. For Zena Keda, for John Krasinski, for Jovan buha, I'm Dave DeFore and this has been the NBA Daily. Thanks for waking up with us. Foreign.

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[Dave DeFore]

Hey folks, it's Marc Maron from WTF. It's been more than 15 years now, and I'm still talking to all kinds of people in my garage every week. Sometimes it's Bill Burr, sometimes it's Ariana Grande.

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She just looks at me because she's.

[Dave DeFore]

Always going like, dad, it's not that big a deal. Yeah. I go, sorry, I lost my temper. I go, I still love you. You know, Daddy has issues.

[Yovon Buha]

Are you afraid of it?

[Dave DeFore]

Of death?

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Well, I don't.

[Dave DeFore]

I think about it all the time.

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How are we here already?

[Dave DeFore]

Listen to WTF with Marc Maron twice a week on your favorite podcast app. Or get more WTF with a WTF plus subscription. Just go to wtfpod.com and click on WTF Plus.

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