Karl-Anthony Towns finds form, admits adjusting to FIBA style in World Cup

It took a game and a half, but the fans finally got to see the NBA version of Karl-Anthony Towns at the FIBA World Cup.

The NBA All-Star opened the third quarter with a booming triple which launched a massive Dominicana run versus Italy. Trailing by a point coming out of the dugout, the Dominican Republic released a 21-6 avalanche and never looked back.

More than the fightback, that triple awakened Towns’ inner beast on his way to an efficient outing.

“Shooters shoot,” an unfazed Towns said when asked about his struggles in the first six quarters of their campaign in the World Cup.

In the win versus Gilas Pilipinas, he was able to tally 26 points, but only shot five out of 16 from the field. In the first half against Italy, he started roughly with a two out of eight clip.

“I’m gonna keep shooting. I’m gonna stay aggressive. I’m never gonna stop staying aggressive,” said Towns.

He admitted, though, to having sense of urgency as they approached the next twenty minutes of the game.

“Shooters shoot.”

Karl-Anthony Towns talks about getting into a better offensive rhythm in the 2nd half of their win against Italy.@gmasportsph@gmanews #FIBAWC pic.twitter.com/i8YoTMTdzQ

— Martin Javier (@martindjavier) August 27, 2023

“In the second half, I knew coming out [that] my team needed me to have a big third quarter. Not only to put us in the game and hopefully win it. And I’m glad I was able to do my job,” the Minnesota Timberwolves star said.

Indeed, Towns did.

He went five out of seven in the final two quarters and looked more like his usual self on the court.

He tormented the Italian defense with timely three-point sniping and aggressive activity inside the painted area.

Not all NBA players, even All-Stars, acclimate to FIBA basketball quickly. Some get rattled even with the tiniest differences in rules, not to mention the increased physicality in games.

Towns, however, was different.

It didn’t take him a whole lot of time to figure things out. He was still putting up monstrous numbers despite the struggles. But more importantly, both performances, so far, have led to victories.

“I’m adjusted to playing basketball. I just like playing basketball so I’m adjusted to whatever the game needs me to do. I’m gonna make sure to do whatever I can to get my country the win,” expressed Towns.

He finished the game with his second straight double-double in as many games with 24 points and 11 rebounds.

Despite the offensive outburst, he credited their team defense as the catalyst of the turnaround.

“I thought we played a little harder. We stepped up on defense. We made them miss. They were making a lot of shots in the first half. (We) did a great job in finding ways to make them miss,” said Towns.

And like the leader of the squad that he is, when asked who his MVP of the game was, he just responded: “Dominican Republic.”

Towns and the Dominicans still need to play their last match against Angola to determine their fate in the World Cup. A win against Angola will assure them of the top spot in Group A and the slot for the second round.

—JKC, GMA Integrated News