Matt Mazarei has been training Karl-Anthony Towns every summer since his rookie year, when Towns called Mazarei after the Timberwolves went 0-5 at the Las Vegas Summer League and told him it was time to get to work.



Since then, the California-based skills coach has been helping Towns add something to his game each season, getting further and further away from the big man who posted up for a living at Kentucky. Towns has spent the first four seasons of his career pushing the boundaries of what centers are supposed to be. In anticipation of a new system being put in place by Ryan Saunders, Towns spent this summer preparing to break the mold entirely.



“We really did a lot of guard-oriented thought process,” Mazarei said. “During his big-man work we were making him think like a guard, see every option, use those ball drills. He does it, but now it’s more of an emphasis. See the slashers early. He wants to get everyone involved. It’s a team...