Editor’s Note: Shortly after being drafted No. 1 overall by the Minnesota Timberwolves, Karl-Anthony Towns joined our Kyle Ratke for an exclusive Timberwolves.com interview. Check out their full conversation below.
KR: Was the first time you knew you were going No. 1 overall when Adam Silver called out your name?
KAT: Yeah, actually it was weird because as he walked down, he looked at me and nodded. And I thought, ‘ah, it must be a great sign’. And then it turned out to be a great sign.
KR: It would have been weird if he would have done that and you weren’t the pick, right?
KAT: (Laughs). Yeah, nod and then say someone else. Story of my life I guess.
KR: Wiggins, Rubio, LaVine. Is this a great fit for you, a young team on the rise? It almost seems like all the pieces fit the puzzle.
KAT: Yeah, I mean, I just think this team’s going to be very good and I can’t wait to see how we mature during the year.
KR: I know you’re basketball buff. When you watched the Finals, the Warriors are a team that was in a similar position not too long ago. They all came up together. This Wolves team isn’t that far off, is it?
KAT: I think that we’re very close. We’re very close to a postseason berth. As soon as we get everything together. (Last season) wasn’t a bad season because of bad play. I think it was a bad season because we were so young. It’s just a hard time to find everything together. Now we got everybody healthy, I think we’re going to go into the season very ready.
KR: We saw some of those Vines of you shooting three pointers before the draft. We didn’t see at as much at Kentucky because you didn’t have to, but is that something you think you can bring to the NBA?
KAT: I think I could help the team tremendously with that. But I also could be on the post and open up the game in many other ways. I think the perimeter shot from me would be excellent for our team because it opens it up for Andrew Wiggins who is one of the greatest slashers in the NBA and Zach LaVine who is also a high flier.
KR: I just talked to Larry Berger from USA Today and he told me what an incredible person you are off the court. Is that something that you really pride yourself on?
KAT: I think the biggest thing with me is that I just pride myself on being the best human being I can be. I just feel that if you’re the best human being, God will bless you with success. I think that every day and I do that in my everyday life, making sure I can be the best to people that I can.
KR: I heard that you’re taking classes at Kentucky next semester. What classes are they and how important is education to you? You don’t see that with a lot of guys. You go to the NBA and school is done for.
KAT: You know what, I just took some business-related classes, just to help me out and also get started on the kinesiology degree I want, and some anatomy classes as well.