K arl-Anthony Towns is struggling. It's a Saturday night in early April at Portland's Moda Center, and the Timberwolves are facing the Trail Blazers, the season's most improbable success story -- and an aspirational template for the Wolves.
Portland, despite having exactly one regular over the age of 26, has cultivated a veteran vibe and culture. It's what Karl-Anthony Towns seeks to build in Minneapolis.
But these are things constructed over time with smaller achievements. Tonight in Portland is just another game, one more push of the boulder up the mountain.
But by the time it's over, it will become something more: a microcosm of Towns' rookie year and an illustration of why this year-old is not just the next great NBA big but a paradigm for all who will follow. Less than 30 seconds into the game comes the first glimpse.
As Blazers forward Mo Harkless slices through the lane and contorts his body for a twisting left-handed layup, Towns knows his front-line collaborator, Gorgui Dieng, has it all under control. Towns is blessed with many defensive skills, among them the ability to seemingly spot a well-timed rejection before palm ever meets leather.
