Who is the most impressive player this season? This question may have different answers from different people. For example, Wembanyama, who entered the top ten of the league in his second year of his career, has now made a groundbreaking performance on both offense and defense. In my opinion, there is another player worth mentioning, he is the super inside player who was sold at a low price by his mother team last offseason: Towns.
After the Timberwolves were eliminated in the second round of the playoffs, everyone thought that this team was just not deep enough. If they maintained their complete lineup, they would still be able to achieve great things next season. Unfortunately, the Timberwolves management seems to think differently. They believe that making Edwards the only core and shifting the focus of the team's offense outward is the most important thing. Therefore, they chose to trade away Towns during the offseason.
Last season, Towns averaged 21.8 points and 8.3 rebounds as a quality inside player, which was already an impressive feat considering he sacrificed a lot of shooting opportunities. What's even more unexpected is the package the Knicks gave up to get Towns: Randle, DiVincenzo, and a first-round pick. Randle was a complete garbage contract last season, and DiVincenzo is at best a quality role player. In other words, the best asset in this trade turned out to be a first-round pick.
This season, Towns has completely transformed, averaging 25.5 points, 14 rebounds, and 3.4 assists, with a shooting percentage of 55% and a three-point percentage exceeding 44%. As an inside player, he has completely delivered Dirk Nowitzki-level offensive numbers. There has been a discussion about who is stronger between this season's Wembanyama and Towns, but so far, Towns' offensive firepower can be said to far surpass Wembanyama, and is only second to Jokic.
Such a quality inside player coming to the Knicks is something many fans did not expect. Prior to this, the hottest destination for Towns was actually the Rockets. And it's certain that if the Rockets were willing to participate in the trade, they could offer better assets than the Knicks, at least young talents are more valuable than Randle and DiVincenzo.
If they got Towns, they would have the confidence to let go of Shen Jing. This season, they could line up a starting lineup of Towns, Xiao Smith, Ethan, Green, and VanVleet. This lineup is at least without weaknesses in terms of mobility, and even Towns' scoring burst would bring more surprises to the Rockets.