Two interesting things happened at Target Center Monday night, though neither of them was shocking.
• Karl-Anthony Towns, who was 19 years old when this NBA season started, was clearly the best player on the court. He finished with 28 points and 13 rebounds, scoring in pretty much every way imaginable.
• Despite Towns' brilliance, the Wolves nearly coughed up 10-point lead with less than 90 seconds left, needing a missed three-pointer by Boston to escape with a 124-122 win.
The fact that it ended in victory allowed most of the focus to remain on Towns' brilliance — which, seeing up close in person for the first time in a couple of months, was captivating and brought to mind this question:
Among Minnesota pro athletes in top leagues right now, who is most likely to win an MVP award sometime in the future? Here's my list:
1 Maya Moore, Lynx: This one's fairly obvious. She's entering the prime of her career. She's already been an MVP. She's arguably the best women's basketball player in the world. Moore racking up another MVP or two (or three) would surprise nobody. But now it gets tougher, and it leads me here:
2 Karl-Anthony Towns, Wolves: I think his ceiling is legitimately this high. Maybe that's weird to say after less than a full season, but I can't stop thinking of Tim Duncan when I see Towns.
3 Miguel Sano, Twins: He'll have to hit a ton to do it, since he doesn't project as a great fielder at any position. But if he evolves into something close to Miguel Cabrera at the plate, Sano will be in the mix.
4 Byron Buxton, Twins: Same upside as Sano, with a less sterling MLB debut and a different skill set. If Buxton's five tools blossom, look out.
5 Adrian Peterson, Vikings: Don't count AP out. He's already won the MVP once when we doubted him in 2012.
6 Devan Dubnyk, Wild: If Minnesota ever puts together a full season of dominance, I have to imagine Dubnyk will be the team's MVP — and by extension, a league MVP candidate. Four goalies have won the award in the last 20 years so it's not unheard of.
7 Andrew Wiggins, Wolves: If he becomes Carmelo Anthony — which wouldn't be bad at all — he won't win an MVP. If he becomes Kobe Bryant? Well, now we're talking.
8 Teddy Bridgewater, Vikings: Same as Dubnyk. If the Vikings become dominant, the QB gets the glory.
9 Zach Parise, Wild: If not Dubnyk, then Parise.
10 Zach LaVine: The other Zach. If he becomes Russell Westbrook, look out.
Michael Rand
