Karl-Anthony Towns named Western Conference Player of the Week

Karl-Anthony Towns isn’t just about mere Rookie of the Month awards anymore.

The former University of Kentucky star was named the NBA’s Western Conference Player of the Week, a big-boy award given him both because he averaged 21.3 points, 10.3 rebounds and 1.67 blocks last week but more so because the Wolves went 3-0, winning all of them on the road at Golden State, Sacramento and Portland.

Included in that, of course, was Towns’ game-winning hook shot with 1.8 seconds left Saturday at Portland.

He is the eight player in Wolves’ history to win the award. The others: Mo Williams, Kevin Love (twice), Nikola Pekovic, Al Jefferson (twice), Sam Cassell, Kevin Garnett (15), Stephon Marbury.

Towns is the first rookie to win Player of the Week since Michael Carter-Williams did so in 2013-14.

Atlanta’s Paul Millsap won the East’s award.

Other players considered: Atlanta’s Jeff Teague, Detriot’s Reggie Jackson, Golden State’s Stephen Curry and the L.A. Clippers’ Jamal Crawford.

Towns, by the way, also has won the West’s Rookie of the Month award all five months it has been awarded this season, too.

This story was originally published April 11, 2016 at 4:20 PM with the headline "Karl-Anthony Towns named Western Conference Player of the Week."