Karl-Anthony Towns/Photo courtesy of Minnesota Timberwolves

Karl-Anthony Towns had just scored 17 points and grabbed eight rebounds in his Minnesota Timberwolves’ 107-99 loss to the Clippers on Sunday afternoon at Staples Center, when Clippers forward Blake Griffin was asked to assess the rookie from Kentucky.

“Towns is tough,” Griffiin said of the 7-foot center. “I liked his game at Kentucky just watching him. He seems to be a great kid, great player, obviously. He has so much room to grow. He has such a high ceiling that he is going to be tough (in the future).”

Towns was averaging 14.2 points and 9.4 rebounds through 16 games ahead of Sunday.