Kevin Garnett is one of the best power forwards in NBA history. Scratch that, he is one of the best players in NBA history. The legendary power forward has had some signature moments throughout his playing days. Whether it was his infamous “ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE!” line when he won the championship with the Boston Celtics to trash-talking Carmelo Anthony and saying his wife tasted like honey nut cheerios, KG always found a way to shake things up when he was playing. With all of this in mind, it is time we look at which season of Garnett’s career gets overshadowed. Is it the year when he won his ring, is it the campaign where he took MVP honors, or could it be the season where he was the All-Star Game MVP? Without further adieu, let’s delve into KG’s most underrated season of his career.
Kevin Garnett’s Most Overlooked Campaign
Kevin Garnett: His 1997-98 Season
During the 1997-98 season, KG would make his second All-Star appearance of his career. On top of that, he would also lead the Timberwolves to a win-loss record of 45-37, only good enough for third place in the Midwest Division. While they did not take the division, they still made the postseason. Unfortunately for them, they ran into division rival, the Seattle SuperSonics, in the first round where they would lose out three games to two.
Garnett had nothing to be ashamed of though, as he was the only true star on Minnesota and had to go up against a Seattle squad with the likes of Gary Payton and head coach, George Karl. Garnett was far from the reason for the series loss considering he averaged 2.4 blocks, 15.8 points on 48.0 percent shooting, and 9.6 total rebounds per game in the series.
The Big Ticket’s Numbers in the 1997-98 Campaign
Garnett put up great numbers in this particular season which cemented his second All-Star selection. Throughout the season, Garnett tallied 18.5 points, 9.6 rebounds, 4.2 assists, and 1.8 blocks per game while averaging an effective field goal percentage of 49.5 percent. On top of that, this would be the first season of his career where he would play all 82 games, the other seasons were 2002-03, 2003-04, and 2004-05. However, KG’s advanced numbers were also impressive.
Garnett would also average a defensive rating of 103 to go along with a defensive box plus/minus of 1.5. He also tallied an impressive defensive rebounding percentage of 19.7 percent and an assists percentage of 18.2 percent, which is impressive for a power forward. Especially when you consider the supporting cast Garnett had at that time. KG would also finish the season with a total win share of 9.6 which was a steady increase from the year before in this category. In conclusion, Kevin Garnett may have gone on to have legendary seasons, but his 1997-98 campaign deserves more credit for what he was able to accomplish.
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