Karl-Anthony Towns is struggling. It's a Saturday night in early April at Portland's Moda Center, and the 27-52 Timberwolves are facing the 43-37 Trail Blazers, the season's most improbable success story -- and an aspirational template for the Wolves. Portland, despite having exactly one regular over the age of 26, has cultivated a veteran vibe and culture. It's what Karl-Anthony Towns seeks to build in Minneapolis. But these are things constructed over time with smaller achievements.
Tonight in Portland is just another game, one more push of the boulder up the mountain. But by the time it's over, it will become something more: a microcosm of Towns' rookie year and an illustration of why this 20-year-old is not just the next great NBA big but a paradigm for all who will follow.