Former ESPN analyst Bomani Jones made rather audacious claims on his podcast, referring to both Minnesota Timberwolves big men Rudy Gobert and Karl-Anthony Towns as supposed detriments to the team. He complained about their “one-dimensional play” and how it doesn’t bode well for the Wolves’ scoring leader and perimeter defensive ace, Anthony Edwards. Combining the seven feet heights of the two Wolves bigs, Jones called them “14 feet of suckas”.
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As per the 43-year-old, KAT demands the ball too much despite being a big man. On the other hand, Gobert refuses to utilize his size to his advantage like so many dominant big men do in the league. The NBA analyst’s podcast The Right Time with Bomani Jones posted a clip of the discussion on X, where Jones could be heard saying,
“The thing about the Timberwolves is they are counting on two guys who may be suckas. We are asking Anthony Edwards to potentially overcome 14 feet of suckas. And one of them wants the ball more and other one don’t wanna be 7 feet tall,” Bomani Jones told co-host Domonique Foxworth.
Foxworth accepted that just being “tall” doesn’t make a seven-footer “big”. However, he also highlighted the importance of having KAT in the line-up as he provides the team with a much-needed scoring punch and elite defense. Domonique wasn’t convinced that the Lakers could beat the Wolves despite Bomani Jones’ reservation about their twin towers. Is Jones justified in his criticism?
In terms of winning percentage, when ANT has played with KAT and Gobert, the Timberwolves have seen tremendous returns. They have clinched 39 wins and 18 losses, making for a 68.4% winning percentage, per Statmuse. A testament to their depth is the fact that they have 14 wins and 6 losses for a 70% winning percentage when they are not playing together. However, it was the team’s trio that originally helped them attain such a sustainable rhythm.
The various shades of the Minnesota Timberwolves
For the season, 3x DPOY Rudy Gobert leads the league with a defensive rating of 103.9. Meanwhile, Karl-Anthony Towns is third in the defensive rating of 107.8, per Statmuse. Thus, statistically, the Wolves have the best big combo in the league defensively. Additionally, Edwards is sixth in the league in terms of defensive rating with 108.6. Thus, the Wolves have three of the top ten players in the much-coveted category. Thus, it is not a surprise that the Minnesota-based squad has become one of the top teams in the league.
Now touching upon Bomani Jones’ criticism about Towns being “too demanding”, the data suggests otherwise. For the season, KAT has attempted 15.5 shots per game whereas Edwards has registered 19.9. Towns has shot 50.6% while Edwards has made 45.6% of his shots. Besides Ant Edwards has the fourth highest usage rate in the league with 32.4%. Therefore, the 2015 #1 pick has proven that he can be both efficient and also help fuel the rise of the franchise’s young centerpiece.
When it comes to Gobert, the Wolves brought him on the team to provide defensive cover and they knew what they were getting offensively. The amount of criticism Rudy Gobert gets despite putting up 13.6 points, 12.8 rebounds, and 2.1 blocks per game is baffling. He is always on critics’ radar despite being the best defensive player in the league for many years.
