Wolves' Towns shooting fewer 3-pointers lately -- with great results

Like an NBA player who aspires to be great, Karl-Anthony Towns set to work this offseason on adding to an offensive skill set that had already carried him to a unanimous Rookie of the Year Award in 2015-16.

One of the most notable additions was range on his jump shot. Whereas Towns attempted on average 1.1 three-pointers per game as a rookie, he started firing three or four times that many in his second year. Like a child with a new toy, it was clear Towns was loving his new skill.

Through the Wolves' first 10 games, he had hoisted 42 three-pointers. Through 20, the total was up to 79 — nearly four per game. He had made 30 of those 79 (38 percent), justifying the attempts at least in terms of efficiency.

Games 21-37, though, brought a clear cooling off. Towns still hoisted 3.5 threes per game in that 15-game span, but he made just 21.7 percent of them. The Wolves' record sat at 11-26 overall at that point, and Towns' efficiency was plummeting along with it.

It was easy to wonder if Towns, like the kid with the new toy who abandons old tried-and-true favorites, was relying too heavily on the new addition to his game instead of fundamentals like strong inside play and a deadly mid-range game.

But NBA players who aspire to be great also learn to adjust. Consciously or not, Towns has found a much better balance in his offensive game over the Wolves' past eight contests.

He's attempted 16 three-pointers (two per game) in that span, making six (for a 37.5 percent average). Meanwhile, his overall numbers have soared — coinciding with a 6-2 stretch by the Wolves that has put them on the fringe of the Western Conference playoff race.

He's posted four of his seven highest "game scores" — a formula that measures offensive production and efficiency — of the season in the past eight games.

But again, in this admittedly small sample size Towns hasn't abandoned the three-pointer. Rather, he's possibly started to realize the happy balance between using it as a threat and using it too much. If defenses have to respect the shot, for instance, it gives him more options. If he leans too heavily on the shot, though, he becomes easier to guard.

Brook Lopez of the Nets is a good example of a player who has successfully added a three-pointer to his arsenal to become more dynamic on offense. Lopez, a nine-year veteran big ma, had attempted 31 career three-pointers before this season. In barely over half a season this year, he's attempted 217 — and made a respectable 35.5 percent.

In the modern NBA that values three-pointers so heavily, it's hard — incorrect, really — to say Towns shouldn't shoot them if he can make them. Like many things this season, the evolution of his game is a work in progress.