Minnesota Timberwolves' center Karl-Anthony Towns has broken into the Top 10 of the Race for MVP Ladder for the first time this season.
Karl-Anthony Towns had a clear plan in place for the locker room makeover he envisioned for the Minnesota Timberwolves. No more drama. No more 'me' and a lot more 'we'.
When the Timberwolves decided to make structural changes to the front office and coaching staff, Towns made sure that a culture change was a part of the plan as well.
"This culture is about family, and we are in this to win," Towns said. "We aren't in this for individual accolades, or any of that stuff. This is the culture that we have built here in Minnesota, and the league is recognising that."
The league also recognises that the leader of the Timberwolves' band is one of the truly unique talents in the game, one who has played his way into the Top 10 of this week's Race to the MVP Ladder.
"I think [Towns] is the best big man in the league," said a former Eastern Conference head coach. "He has got everything. He can play inside and out and he can dominate on both ends. There isn't anything that is required at his position that he can't do."
The Timberwolves are two games above .500 and on pace to make the playoffs, with coach Ryan Saunders still tweaking his line-ups and rotations to get the desired results.
Towns is averaging career highs in scoring (26.3 PPG), rebounding (12.6 RPG) and assists (4.1 APG) while shooting 51.3 per cent overall and 44.4 per cent on three-pointers. He is also averaging 1.1 steals (another career-high) and 1.5 blocks.
So far, things are going according to plan both on and off the court.
"I have confidence in the integrity and the will in those people in the locker room and I know what they'll do when they put those jerseys on," Towns said. "I feel like I'm doing more than I've ever done, I'm able to do more than I've ever been asked to or been allowed to do. I'm just having fun and showing more and more facets of my game. And there's a lot more left in me to show."
Saunders is all in on the masterplan, knowing that the Timberwolves' fate this season rests squarely on the shoulders of their young leader and best player. Having a seven-footer that can shoot 40 per cent from the arc provides opportunities most teams can only dream of, while also requiring a coach to help his star balance his approach.
"I'm very happy with Karl with what he has been able to do, on the court and off the court with this group," Saunders said. "We do have a younger team and sometimes years of service can play into you being a veteran. It has been good for Karl to have to accept that role as well.
"He has done a lot of things away from the basketball court, whether it be team gatherings and things that he does with his team-mates, but also being a vocal leader, too. He has had a nice start to the year, but it is something you are never satisfied with."
Sekou's MVP ladder
1. Giannis Antetokounmpo (Milwaukee Bucks)
Last week: No 1
Season stats: 31.1 points, 13.7 rebounds, 6.2 assists, 1.4 blocks, 1.5 steals
Antetokounmpo and the Bucks rolled without their other All-Star, Khris Middleton, in the line-up as the 'Greek Freak' did it all (a triple-double, a 50-point game etc.). He was as devastating as ever with Middleton back in the mix for Wednesday's win against Atlanta (Milwaukee's ninth straight), piling up 30 points, 10 rebounds, four assists and four blocks.
2. LeBron James (Los Angeles Lakers)
Last week: No 2
Season stats: 25.8 points, 11.0 assists, 7.3 rebounds, 1.3 steals
LeBron ceded the stage to Anthony Davis in the big man's first trip to New Orleans in a Lakers uniform. Davis dominated, the Lakers got the win and LeBron put on a show of his own (29 points, 11 assists, five rebounds, two steals) with his league-leading 12th game of 20-plus points and 10-plus assists.
Under his guidance, the Lakers have tied the best 18-game start in team history.
3. Kemba Walker (Boston Celtics)
Last week: No 6
Season stats: 22.3 points, 4.7 rebounds, 4.6 assists
While the fans at TD Garden were busy trolling Kyrie Irving on Wednesday night, Walker was doing his best to remind everyone why the Celtics are happy with the man who replaced him. Walker torched the Nets for a season-high 39 points, six assists and four rebounds in his first outing after missing one game with a neck injury.
4. Luka Doncic (Dallas Mavericks)
Last week: No 3
Season stats: 30.1 points, 9.5 assists, 10.0 rebounds, 1.5 steals
Doncic won't see many teams with the defensive personnel and firepower the Clippers threw at him on Tuesday night, when his streak of 30-point, 10-assist games came to an end. That one game, however, does not diminish the impact he has had on the Mavericks this season. He is still one of the NBA's most difficult players to guard.
5. James Harden (Houston Rockets)
Last week: No 4
Season stats: 37.7 points, 6.1 rebounds, 7.8 assists, 1.6 steals
Harden's status as the most unstoppable scorer in the league is not in danger. But he is seeing double teams these days that he readily admits he has never seen before. If these new schemes have the usual effect, Harden will go back to the lab and come up with a new wrinkle of his own, which is necessary for the Rockets to keep pace in the Western Conference playoff race.
All season stats/averages cover games played up to and including November 28.
The next five
6. Pascal Siakam (Toronto Raptors)
7. Nikola Jokic (Denver Nuggets)
8. Kawhi Leonard (LA Clippers)
9. Anthony Davis (Los Angeles Lakers)
10. Karl-Anthony Towns (Minnesota Timberwolves)
Sekou Smith is a veteran NBA reporter and NBA TV analyst. The views on this page do not necessarily reflect the views of the NBA, its clubs or Turner Broadcasting.