Karl-Anthony Towns calls Minnesota "home" as he returns to face Timberwolves
MINNEAPOLIS — You can take Karl-Anthony Towns out of Minnesota, as the New York Knicks did with an offseason trade, but Towns' comments ahead of his return to Target Center show the inverse is certainly not true.
The 29-year-old big man is set to take on his former teammates on the Minnesota Timberwolves Thursday night — appropriately, in the midst of the biggest snowstorm of the winter so far. But when asked if the snow caused travel troubles, Towns was defiant.
"That's a New York question, that's a very New Yorker question. That's not a Minnesotan question," he said. "I ain't gonna answer that."
Though Towns now wears a Knicks jersey, it's clear where his heart lies.
"A lot of years of great memories here. It's always a warm feeling I get stepping in Target Center," Towns said.
"I continue to see Minnesota as a home for me," he later added.
As much as Towns clearly misses Anthony Edwards, Naz Reid and the rest of the Wolves, they may miss him even more — at least on the court. Towns is averaging 24.8 points a night in New York, his highest mark since the 2020-2021 season. And while the Wolves' defense has recently rounded into form, the offense is still lagging, ranking 22nd in points per game and 20th in offensive rating.
Towns will get a chance to test that formidable Wolves defense in his return, which he seems melancholic about, even if he tried to hide it with an insouciance.
"It's going to be different," Towns said. "I've thought about it multiple times, how weird it's gonna be coming out from the other side of the tunnel and not from the T-Wolves side, so, man, it's gonna be a very different day."
While Towns will surely bring his A game to Target Center, he's expecting his former teammates to have a little extra juice, too. When asked if he thinks Edwards will try to dunk on him, Towns replied, "I think he tries to dunk on everybody."
"Why you couldn't think about maybe I wanted to dunk on him?" he added.
Towns has been watching his former team, calling himself an "avid Timberwolves fan."
"They're still my brothers, they're still my guys," he said. "Just because the trade happened don't mean I lost love for them. My love for them is always gonna be there."
That enduring love applies to the state — and the organization — that made him an NBA star, too.
"I just wanted to be the best I could be with whatever NBA jersey I put on, but especially wanted to be my best here in a Timberwolves jersey," Towns said. "This place has given my family so much, not even from a financial aspect, but just from a life aspect, the experiences, the moments we were able to have because of the organization and the things we were able to accomplish here."
Tipoff is at Target Center at 8:30 p.m. Thursday.
Note: The video above originally aired Sept. 28, 2024
