Karl-Anthony Towns is in the middle of one of the biggest postseason breakouts in recent memory.
Despite being a six-time All-Star, he’s long struggled to play at the same level in the playoffs. In his first five postseasons, he had a 1.1 box plus/minus, averaged 3.9 fouls per game and shot 35.0 percent from deep.
This postseason, though his scoring is down, he leads the entire NBA in BPM (at 11.6), is less than one assist per game shy of Jalen Brunson for the team lead in that category and is shooting 46.2 percent from deep.
Beyond his well-rounded numbers (17.1 points, 10.5 rebounds, 6.0 assists, 1.3 blocks and 1.0 steals), Towns has been a steadying force for perhaps the hottest team in the playoffs. With his susceptibility to foul trouble and bad turnovers, he was typically the opposite of that in prior postseason runs.
And KAT’s individual turnaround is perhaps the biggest reason New York is just a few wins away from a championship.