Karl-Anthony Towns NBA's No. 1 Draft Pick

Print

Published on June 26 2015 6:21 am
Last Updated on July 8 2015 6:25 am

The Minnesota Timberwolves are hoping big man Karl-Anthony Towns lives up to all the hype.

The Timberwolves selected the 6-foot-11 freshman sensation out of Kentucky with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2015 NBA draft on Thursday night at Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

Towns, 19, who averaged 10.3 points and 6.7 rebounds in 21.1 minutes per game in his only season with the Wildcats, was widely believed to be the top overall selection by experts heading into the draft.

"When [commissioner] Adam Silver came out, I saw him, and he said, 'With the No. 1 pick ...'[my heart] was racing," said Towns. "I told Coach Cal [John Calipari] before when he first came out that I was trying to drink water and I was shaking uncontrollably, and I told him, 'Coach, don't give me the ball right now for the last-second shot. I wouldn't make it.' I was just shocked and just extremely happy that I was able to give my parents something they can remember for the rest of their lives."

The New Jersey native is considered a highly skilled, two-way threat who can impact games on both ends of the floor.

The Los Angeles Lakers shook up the 2015 NBA draft Thursday by selecting Ohio State point guard D'Angelo Russell second overall instead of taking a potential franchise center in Duke's Jahlil Okafor.

While many analysts project Russell to have a higher upside, Okafor seemed to fit the mold for the Lakers, who have a rich lineage of star big men throughout their franchise's history.

The New York Knicks took what team president Phil Jackson said was a "great" risk in selecting Latvian big man Kristaps Porzingis with the fourth overall pick in the 2015 NBA draft.

Knicks fans, who filled parts of Barclays Center in Brooklyn, wanted no part of the 19-year-old Porzingis, booing loud and long after his name was called by commissioner Adam Silver.

"Lot of fans weren't happy they drafted me," Porzingis said. "I have to do everything in my hands to turn those booing fans into clapping fans. I was happy about it. Want to be part of this organization. The fans are harsh sometimes. That's how it is in New York, and I'm ready for it."