On a memorable Monday when he accepted the NBA’s Rookie of the Year award by lunchtime and arrived in New York City by nightfall to represent his team at Tuesday’s draft lottery, young Timberwolves star Karl-Anthony Towns started with a 7 a.m. workout that beat even new coach Tom Thibodeau to the office.
If he’s gifted enough, an NBA player can be named league MVP or an All-Star multiple times, but only once can he ever be honored as Rookie of the Year. Rarer still is the young man who’s voted so unanimously, as 130 media members did one year to the month after teammate Andrew Wiggins won the same award, albeit less decisively.