Welcome to the 2017-18 edition of the Timberpups Tracker. This year, we’re taking a different tact. With Minnesota having taken over a G League franchise in Iowa, and renaming it the Wolves, each Thursday we’ll either track the progress of the players who might be of help to the Timberwolves in the future or a current member of the Minnesota roster. We’ll also give updates on the other young players from the previous week.
This is the 17th edition of the 2017-18 Timberpups Tracker.
SPOTLIGHT ON …
Center Karl-Anthony Towns
Kevin Garnett? Kevin Love? Nope, the Timberwolves single-game scoring record of 52 points wasn’t held by any of the franchise’s all-time greats. It was claimed by Mo Williams (remember, the guard with the headband?) in 2015 during his short-lived 41-game stint in Minnesota.
That record is now in better hands.
Towns shattered Williams’ record against Atlanta on Wednesday night, racking up 56 points on 19-of-32 shooting, including 6 of 8 from downtown -- tying a career-high in 3-point makes. It’s the kind of performance the Timberwolves needed after losing two straight critical contests as they try to keep their heads above water in the heated Western Conference playoff chase.
After shooting 60.6 percent from deep (20 of 33) the last eight games, Towns has surpassed Nemanja Bjelica for the best 3-point accuracy on the Wolves and now ranks sixth in the NBA at a 43.8 percent clip. This is a guy who made two 3-pointers in college and sunk one in his first 15 NBA games.
Those "MVP chants" at the Target Center are here to stay.
TRACKING TIMBERPUPS
-- That was Tyus Jones’ younger brother, Tre, who was awarded the 2017-18 Minnesota Mr. Basketball award on Wednesday night at the Target Center. Tyus was proud!
-- In an ugly loss to Memphis on Monday, Jones was on the floor for six minutes -- his fewest minutes all season. Fellow guard Jeff Teague, on the other hand, played 42 minutes.
-- The G League Wolves finished their inaugural season with a 24-26 record, four games out of a playoff spot in the Western Conference. The Wolves were 14-11 at home and 10-15 on the road. Iowa won five of its last seven games.
-- Minnesota’s 2017 first-round pick Justin Patton was called up to the NBA squad on Sunday after Iowa’s season ended. Patton averaged 12.7 points, 5.7 rebounds and 1.4 blocks in 23.1 minutes per game for the G League Wolves. He has yet to make his NBA debut.
-- Amile Jefferson collected two more double-doubles last week for Iowa. He had 37 double-doubles on the season.
