Karl-Anthony Towns says he and Anthony Edwards need to play at a 'Shaq and Kobe' level
There's a lot of excitement surrounding the Minnesota Timberwolves and that's not limited to the fan base.
During an interview with ESPN's Malika Andrews, Karl-Anthony Towns said that he and Anthony Edwards could become one of the best duos in the NBA next season.
"We need to go out there and play at a level that hasn't been seen since Shaq and Kobe if possible and do what we do best," Towns said. "We just need to continue to be ourselves and raise our games all around."
Towns has a right to be optimistic after the Timberwolves added three-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert. With Gobert handling the dirty work in the paint, Towns should have the freedom to work as a perimeter player.
Chris Finch said during Friday's press conference to announce Towns' four-year supermax extension that he would like Town to shoot more threes this season and Towns believes that Gobert's presence will allow him the freedom to do so.
"He’s going to be a massive part to us being a championship team and my job is to help him as much as he’s going to help me," Towns said of Gobert. "His strengths are my weaknesses and his weaknesses are my strengths. So we’ll be able to play off of each other."
Gobert's presence should also make things easier for Edwards. The No. 1 overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft will turn 21 in September but is coming off a breakout season where he averaged 21.3 points, 4.8 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game.
"He's like a sponge," Towns said of Edwards during his press conference. "He always wants to absorb information. He wants to get better. He's looking to always achieve that next level and because of that, we're able to have those conversations we need to have to be able to get to that next level. ... He's fantastic and I think that this year is going to be his best year."
With Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green declaring Edwards a star, it's easy to see why Towns believes they could ascend to one of the NBA's best combinations next season.
“I have a lot of work to do," Towns admitted. "He has a lot of work to do, but we can come together and continuously grow and commit to each other, commit to this organization and commit to winning. We could be right there as one of the best duos. We could be talking about our team being one of the best teams in the NBA and that’s even more important.”
