NBA on TNT Crew Throws Shade at Karl-Anthony Towns After Game 3 Loss

Karl Rasmussen | May 27, 2024

Kenny Smith and Charles Barkley on NBA on TNT after Game 3 of the Western Conference finals. / Screenshot via NBA on TNT on X

Karl-Anthony Towns has not shot well during the Western Conference finals against the Dallas Mavericks, and his struggles are a large part of the reason the Minnesota Timberwolves find themselves trailing 3–0 and facing elimination.

After the game, Towns spoke to reporters about his difficulty finding success with his jump shot. From his perspective, his shooting woes haven't been the result of a lack of effort on his part.

Towns told reporters after the game that he's been locked in the gym working on his shot, getting up more than 1,500 shots per day. That claim, however, wasn't to be believed by the NBA on TNT crew.

During their postgame segment, Kenny Smith, Charles Barkley and Draymond Green all cast some doubts on Towns's claim after Sunday's loss.

"I'm putting up to 1,500 shots a day and shot so well all playoffs, confidence extremely high. To be having these unfortunate bounces and these looks that are just not going in is tough. It's tough for sure," said Towns to reporters.

"Do you know what 'cap' is?" Green asked Ernie Johnson after the clip was aired on the TNT postgame show.

Smith proceeded to break down the math as to why he felt that Towns's claim of 1,500 attempts was outlandish.

Draymond, Kenny, and Chuck are “calling cap” on KAT’s claim that he’s putting up 1,500 shots per day 😭 pic.twitter.com/X0Hnp5g580

— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) May 27, 2024

The former No. 1 pick is shooting just 3-for-22 from three-point range during the series and was 0-for-8 on Sunday night. From the field, he's a woeful 15-for-54 and has not shot better than 30% from the field in a single contest.

It's been night and day for Towns since the conference semifinals, during which he shot 39.4% from three-point range and 51% from the field. His 41.6% clip from three-point range during the regular season was also a career best, but that form has seemingly vanished as the stage has brightened in the Western Conference finals.

He doesn't have much time to rediscover his shooting touch with the Timberwolves just one defeat from elimination, and the NBA on TNT crew doesn't seem to think his method of putting up 1,500 shots is doing him any favors.