Charles Barkley: Karl-Anthony Towns ‘So Limited Offensively’

Having watched the Rockets bottle up Karl-Anthony Towns for two consecutive playoff games—the big fella has scored a total of 13 points in the first-round series—Charles Barkley has concluded that KAT is “so limited offensively” and that the big fella needs to retool his game during the offseason.

“What it really shows me, Ernie, is the limitations of his game,” Barkley said on TNT Wednesday night.

“He got a long way to go offensively. I mean those shots he’s getting, those aren’t big man shots. Those are like a 7-footer shooting fadeaways against little guys. He’s got to get in the gym.

“First of all, I like him a lot as a person and like him a lot as a player, but he is so limited offensively. He’s got to get in the gym and work on his game this summer.”

Towns finished with just five points in last night’s 102-82 Game 2 loss in Houston, and the Timberwolves are headed back to Minnesota down 0-2.

KAT says he can’t afford to be frustrated by his lack of offensive production.

Per ESPN:

“I just go out here and I just try to find ways to win,” Towns said after scoring only five points as his Minnesota Timberwolves dropped to a 2-0 series deficit with a 102-82 loss Wednesday night to the Rockets. “I’m not looking for statistics and all that hype and glory and all that B.S. that doesn’t matter. I’m here for wins and dubs — whatever I’ve got to do to win the game.”

Towns, who scored eight points in the Timberwolves’ Game 1 loss, is off to a historically poor postseason start for a player of his pedigree. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Towns’ 13 points through two playoff games is tied for the third fewest in NBA history for a player who averaged at least 20 points per game that season, ahead of only Paul Arizin in 1957 and Truck Robinson in 1979.

“You can’t be frustrated,” said Towns, who was 2-of-9 from the floor on Wednesday and is 5-of-18 in the series. “No time to be frustrated. Too much positive energy has to go the right way. There ain’t no time for negativity. There ain’t no time for frustration. There ain’t no time to hang your head down. We’ve got to move on and try to win the next game.”

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