Timberwolves big man Karl-Anthony Towns is having an impressive enough rookie season that he is drawing flattering comparisons to all sorts of players. The one that he reminds me of the most — and this might be the loftiest praise of all — is future Hall of Famer Tim Duncan of the Spurs. Here is a comparison between the rookie seasons of both players, which show plenty of similarities (as well as a few interesting differences). All stats for both are through the All-Star break of both seasons unless noted:
CategoryTownsDuncan
Points per game17.1 18.2
Rebounds per game10.1 11.5
Field goal percentage54.4 55.7
Three-point percentage37.5 (18-for-48)0.0 (0-for-6)
Free throw percentage85.258.4
Blocked shots per game1.82.4
![Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) with a first half dunk Wednesday night. He finished with 19 points. ] JEFF WHEELER ï jeff.wheeler@startribune.com The Minnesota Timberwolves lost 126-123 to the Oklahoma City Thunder in an NBA game Wednesday night, January 27, 2016 at Target Center in Minneapolis.](https://arc.stimg.co/startribunemedia/X5BCBC6EO6AKAFKVEUQHEE5BVE.jpg?&w=1080)
