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Opinion
In most cases it’s hard to sympathise with a multi-millionaire athlete’s struggles, but as a basketball and Timberwolves fan, Karl-Anthony Towns’ bizarre and heartbreaking run of recent luck have been on my mind lately.
It reads like a sick joke.
Most people know that he lost his mother to COVID on April 13 last year, but he’s stated that he’s seen a total of seven family members claimed by the virus so far.
Additionally, not only was he hospitalised after a car crash involving a drunk driver this past offseason, but before that he was rear-ended by a semi in 2019 in an accident that he believes he only had a five per cent chance of surviving.
And despite rarely missing games since his career began in 2015, he suffered a dislocated wrist that ended his season in 2020. In 2021, he had another wrist injury. To top it off, he then returned but tested positive for COVID soon after and has been out ever since (a couple of weeks at this point).
Towns’ social media message after his diagnosis is tough to digest, particularly the bit about his family at the end.
???????? pic.twitter.com/bk0tzC6jiV
— Karl-Anthony Towns (@KarlTowns) January 15, 2021
He’s also had this to say about his experiences: “If I can be honest with ya’ll for a second, I mean, I don’t really recall or really care. I only understand what happened from April 13th on.
“Because you may see me smiling and stuff, but that Karl died on April 13. He’s never coming back, I don’t remember that man. You’re talking to the physical me, but my soul has been killed off a long time ago.”
I’m not sure what to say. It feels cursed.
While wins and losses pale in comparison after all that, the Timberwolves franchise has been in complete disarray for the past couple of years (it’s really like ten-plus years) too, struggling through last season to end up with the number one overall pick in the draft and promptly following it up this year with a record of 4-14 so far, the second-worst in the league and only one win up on the Wizards.
Coach Ryan Saunders, while a good story, is awful at actually coaching basketball and should be fired by the end of the year, their last two high picks Anthony Edwards (number one overall) and Jarrett Culver (six overall) haven’t flashed as often as fans would’ve hoped, and the entire team has been up for sale since last year with owner Glen Taylor looking to step away.
It’s still early for Edwards and he did seem to start the year strong, but watching LaMelo Ball’s game develop nicely in Charlotte after some of my favourite analysts rated him over Edwards pre-draft leaves a bad taste in my mouth.
I’m willing to wait and see with him. The veteran team around Edwards has been more disappointing, though.
The Wolves went all in last season by trading for point guard DeAngelo Russell, one of Towns’ best friends in the league. Watching Towns greet Russell at the airport after the trade had the feelings of a new beginning in Minnesota – and might have been one of the last times I saw a happy KAT.
But since then, the various injury issues have led to the pair only playing a handful of games together, and Russell, who many already regarded as a player whose All-Star reputation covered up his middling athleticism and playmaking, has simply been unable to lead an efficient or effective offence in Minnesota.
He didn’t look particularly great in Golden State, his last stop, either. I understand that the trade was largely an attempt to placate Towns, but it feels like a grave error for the organisation so far.
Adding other players like Ricky Rubio and Malik Beasley was supposed to jump-start the team, but it just hasn’t worked out.
Their first-round pick is owed to the Warriors this year, and while it’s top-three protected, there’s around a 60 percent chance the Warriors walk away with it at the time of writing. This one is especially brutal considering that the premium talent in this upcoming draft blows last year’s out of the water with players like Cade Cunningham, Evan Mobley and Jalen Suggs, all of whom likely would’ve been taken first overall in 2020.
Looking at the past few years of general futility, I’m comfortable calling it what it is – a dumpster fire. And it’s hard to see a way out with the abundance of talent elsewhere in the Western Conference.
Karl-Anthony Towns #32 of the Minnesota Timberwolves looks to rebound the ball against the Indiana Pacers at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on October 15, 2019 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
But back to Towns. He is a once-in-a-generation shooting talent at the centre position, and aside from one very brief playoff appearance in 2018, it’s been nothing but mediocrity and struggle.
That alone puts a strain on players and we’ve seen many an athlete look forlorn as they’re crushed under the realisation that they won’t have success with the organisation that developed them (here’s looking at you, Bradley Beal).
But all of that probably doesn’t really matter to Towns right now. Many of us can speak from experience and know that losing any family member is brutal, but seeing so many go so quickly and to then watch people across the country (not to mention your peers in the NBA!) continue to scoff at COVID safety measures for so long – I can’t even imagine.
Mental health has been getting more attention in the sports world over the past couple of years, which is nice to see. Reading about the experiences of players such as DeMar DeRozan and Kevin Love really helped me understand that it isn’t always as glamorous as it appears.
As a human being, I can only hope that Towns has a good support system around him and heals as best he can. I appreciate his willingness to talk to the media and shine a spotlight on his struggles, because god knows the virus has affected so many other people.
Consider donating to the KAT Team Foundation (founded by his father Karl Towns, who almost succumbed to COVID himself), wish him a speedy turnaround on Twitter, or just keep people like him in your thoughts for a bit next time you leave the house. I know I will.
Stay safe.
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