Towns finishes strong workout with Timberwolves, Calipari sings his praises

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Karl-Anthony Towns is virtually a perfect prospect.

Blessed with tremendous size, athleticism, scoring touch, and natural defensive instincts, Towns is unlikely to slip past the Minnesota Timberwolves, who hold the first pick in next week's draft. The star prospect hasn't even bothered working out for the Los Angeles Lakers, who own the second pick.

Towns visited the Timberwolves for a closed workout on Saturday and, by all accounts, the former Kentucky center did "very well."

Towns also drew rave reviews from his former head coach John Calipari, who happily sang Towns's praises in an interview with Derek Bodner for USA Today.

"He works hard," Calipari said. "He's one of those guys that you look back and say, 'Whoever picks him, they'll never get traded.' There's only a few of those in the league. He'll be one of them."

Calipari also complimented Towns's broad skillset. Towns mostly played in the post for Kentucky, but Calipari says his game is more diverse.

"He has more ball skills than I let him show," Calipari said. "He can shoot threes. That's not going to be who he is, but you're going to have to guard him in pick-and-pops or if he's trailing on the break."

Towns only launched 11 3-point attempts in his lone season at Kentucky, hitting three, but there's reason to believe he can knock down the midrange shot with some consistency. Towns shot 44 and 41 percent from the left and right elbows (via A Wolf Among Wolves) and hit 81.3 percent of his free throws.

The 19-year-old Towns is the co-favorite to be drafted first overall, along with Duke product Jahlil Okafor. Towns is the better athlete of the two, grading out as the superior defender with significantly sounder shooting mechanics.