Karl-Anthony Towns is a likely contender for the NBA’s Rookie of The Year Award, but it hasn’t been easy.
The Minnesota Timberwolves rookie forward dedicated his inaugural season to former NBA star Darryl Dawkins and coach Flip Saunders, both of whom impacted his life before their deaths in 2015.
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Saunders was responsible for drafting Towns first overall last June before dying of Hodgkin's lymphoma just before the start of this season.
Dawkins, who spent more than a decade in the NBA, was a long-time friend of his father’s and a mentor to Towns.
"To lose a person who has mostly been with me as I've been playing and teaching me little things here and there in my Uncle Darryl, and to lose the person who gave me my NBA dream in Flip, it was hard," Towns said, via the Associated Press. "But they both contributed to the way I've played this year. They've been able to help me even not being on this Earth anymore."
Towns’ father, Karl, revealed that his son dedicated his rookie season to the two men last fall. To his credit, he’s made it a fitting tribute.
Towns leads all rookies in scoring (18.3 points per game), rebounding (10.5 per game) and double-doubles (50). He’s been named Western Conference Rookie of the Month every month this season and was named NBA Player of the Week on Monday.
He also closely follows a “blueprint for success” that Saunders left him via text message last fall.
"I almost got it memorized in my head," he said. "It's something that keeps me going and lets me know that I'm doing right, that I'm making this dream a reality. I'm just trying every day to make sure that I let people know the last decision he made for this organization was his best one."