Kendrick Perkins believes Mike Brown will get the best defensive effort out of Karl-Anthony Towns yet.
He also believes that KAT should embrace the noise, whether it’s coming from himself or WFAN’s Gregg Giannotti. And part of that noise includes Perkins urging the five-time NBA All-Star to shed a few pounds.
Forget the idea that Towns’ defensive struggles are just who he is. And while you’re at it, spare Perkins the same argument about Jalen Brunson. He’s not interested in baked-in limitations. He’s convinced that both guys can improve defensively if they commit to it.
Because in Perkins’ eyes, the only thing holding Towns back from reaching his full potential is the ability to defend at a high level. And it’s not out of reach. According to Perk, if Towns wants to be a real defensive force, it all starts with one number: 15. As in, 15 pounds.
“Karl-Anthony Towns, if I was you, I’d go lose me about 15 pounds,” Perkins said on Perk Unplugged. “You get 15 pounds off of you, bro, and you stay consistent… It’s going to be smoke. Boy, you going to be ready. I’m telling y’all, man. I’m looking forward.”
Perkins, of all people, knows what it means to carry extra weight in the league, and what it takes to shed it. He joked earlier this season that watching the Celtics’ offense makes him feel like he just took an Ozempic shot. He’s not shy about it. Just like he wasn’t shy about revealing his body fat percentage as an 18-year-old rookie, even as Bob Myers begged him — and Stephen A. Smith — not to “go there.”
That’s what gives his critique weight, both literally and figuratively. He’s lived it. And in his eyes, Towns isn’t incapable. He just needs to commit to the work, trim the excess, and move like someone who wants to stay on the floor in May and June.
About Sam Neumann
Since the beginning of 2023, Sam has been a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. A 2021 graduate of Temple University, Sam is a Charlotte native, who currently calls Greenville, South Carolina his home. He also has a love/hate relationship with the New York Mets and Jets.