Podcaster Ryen Rusillo discussed All-Star big man Karl-Anthony Towns ' joining the New York Knicks during his recent appearance on the 'Run it Back' podcast.
According to Rusillo, he likes KAT's fit for what the Knicks needed as a stretch five and the option of him being a stretch four once Mitchell Robinson returns to action. However, Ryen disagreed with the years-long claim that Towns is the greatest shooting big man of all time.
"I still resist that best shooting big of all time," said Russillo. "I think that's a little disrespectful of KD and Dirk."
KAT claimed the greatest big-man shooter ever title
It was in December 2021 when Towns crowned himself as the greatest big-man shooter of all time . His combination of volume (4.3 three-point shots attempted per game) and efficiency (39.8 percent three-point shooting percentage) seemed to back up his statement. Two months later, KAT validated his claim by winning the 2022 NBA 3-Point Contest.
When you look up numbers, KAT is a career 39.8 percent three-point shooter. Still, Kevin Durant and Dirk Nowitzki are at the same level at 38.7 and 38.0 percent, respectively. As far as true shooting percentage is concerned, Towns is at 62.3 percent, which is better than KD's 61.9 percent and Dirk's 57.7 percent. Rusillo reserved his argument for another discussion table but gave his reasoning anyway.
"We'll get into that another day," added Ryen. "Because I think dribbling into pull-ups is a little tougher than just catch-and-shoot outside all the time. But look, he buries it - unless it's the Mavericks."
Related: Julius Erving believes no player is similar to him in the modern NBA: “I was a small forward, but I really played like a power forward”
J-Kidd also thinks it's Dirk
Rusillo isn't the only one who disagreed with Towns' claim. Dallas Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd, who played on the Mavs' 2011 title squad, argued that his Mavs teammate Nowitzki is the best big-man shooter ever .
"Everyone has a right to their opinion, especially now," Kidd said . "But yeah, he can shoot it. He can definitely shoot it. You look at KAT; KAT is a very confident young man. He's one of the best bigs in this league; he can shoot the three at a high rate, he can put it on the floor, [and] he can score. So I think he can be one of the top big men shooters. Dirk was one of the first to start that, so I think Dirk would definitely have something to say."
Regarding the best big-man shooter ever, that title is usually reserved for Dirk . Although Durant is a seven-footer, he plays small forward, so he isn't included in the discussion. As for Towns' shooting numbers might be a little better than Nowitzki and KD's, but as Russillo said, it's not just about the percentages.
Related: "KAT is going to be a cat. We got dogs in the backyard" - Rashad McCants says Towns is soft
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