How good is Karl-Anthony Towns, and how great will he be?

For the past several years, ESPN Insider's Chad Ford and Kevin Pelton have provided the kind of discussions that are happening in front offices around the NBA -- where scouts and statistical experts are breaking down NBA prospects using their "eyes, ears and numbers." This year those conversations are extending beyond the NBA draft to include prospects in their rookie or sophomore seasons.

Chad and Kevin both had Kentucky's Karl-Anthony Towns No. 1 on their respective big boards at the end of the draft (see Pelton's Statistical Big Board and Ford's final Big Board 12.0).

Rating Towns No. 1

Pelton: It's early, crazy early, but given what you've seen from Towns in the preseason and in his first two NBA games, how do you feel about projecting him No. 1 in the draft last season?

Ford: Well, he's the first teenager to ever record a double-double in his first two games. He's only the second teenager in NBA history to score at least 28 points and grab 14 rebounds in a game (LeBron James was the other one). He's averaging 21.1 PPG, 13 RPG, 2 BPG and is shooting 59 percent from the field. He leads all rookies that are playing significant minutes with a 27 PER.

So ... I'd say pretty good. I watched each of Towns' games (versus the Lakers and Nuggets) and was wowed both times. He's scoring in a variety of ways. He's playing great defense.

Not only did Towns look like the No. 1 pick, he looked like a superstar -- right now. And this is where Kevin comes in and pours cold water over everything with the dreaded sample size argument.

Pelton: On the statistics, certainly. I don't think Towns is going to post the best rookie PER since individual turnovers have been tracked. However, there's less of a concern with sample size on how Towns has looked, and that has been just as impressive to me as the stats.

Towns is playing at both ends like a 10-year veteran, not a guy who has been in the NBA for a week. At this point, I think the question is less whether Towns was the best prospect in the 2015 draft and more whether he's one of the best prospects of the past decade.

From Kentucky to NBA

Pelton: Based on what you've seen so far, how does Towns' NBA game match up with what you saw from him at Kentucky?

Ford: He's actually showing off a more complete game than we saw regularly at Kentucky. Coach John Calipari really developed his low-post game at Kentucky, and if you just watched him in college, you would think Towns was going to operate primarily on the block.

But if you saw him in high school, the thing that was so tantalizing was Towns' abilities on the perimeter. He had a sweet jump shot with 3-point range and he could put the ball on the deck and get to the rim.

Towns is doing it all in his first two games. He's scoring in the paint. He's stepping out and soaking midrange jumpers. He's catching the ball at the top of the key, pump faking and driving to the basket. He's hitting his free throws at a nearly 90 percent clip (he was an excellent free throw shooter in college).

And on the defensive end he's already showing off his shot-blocking and rebounding skills.

Pelton: We haven't yet seen the 3-point range, and probably won't much this season given how the Timberwolves too have emphasized building Towns' game from the inside out, but the pick-and-pop is already a big part of his offense. Towns is 4-of-10 on 2-point jumpers beyond 16 feet and made those shots at an incredible 71.4 percent clip in the preseason.

One other thing that stands out to me statistically is that Towns has committed just seven fouls in 65 minutes. Because Kentucky was so deep, Towns could afford to take some fouls in college, and he averaged 5.0 per 36 minutes. Minnesota has a deep frontcourt too, but it's already clear that Towns is the best of those options and Sam Mitchell is going to want to keep Towns on the court for extended minutes.

KAT for ROY?

Ford: If you had asked me before the preseason, my rookie of the year prediction would've been for Emmanuel Mudiay (yes, the guy who committed 11 turnovers in his first NBA game). I tend to think that voters emphasize scoring and it's clear from the preseason that the Nuggets are going to give Mudiay the green light and he's going to be hyper-aggressive.

Two games isn't a season and I think we all know that NBA defenses begin to adjust to guys and try to take away the things they like to do. That's coming. But look, if Towns is going to play like this all year, it won't be close. No one in the rookie class has more talent.

I think we all thought Towns would be the best player in five years. I'm not sure I saw it coming quite this quick.

Pelton: Towns was my pick because I thought people overstated how productive Mudiay and particularly Jahlil Okafor would be and understated how much opportunity Towns would have to produce. Naturally, nothing that has happened yet has changed my mind.

While voters might not pay much attention to efficiency and turnovers, coaches do, and we saw Mudiay play fewer minutes Friday against Minnesota while Towns was out on the court longer. I suspect that will continue to be the case even after Nikola Pekovic returns to the Timberwolves lineup.

Towns and #NBArank in five years

Ford: Let's talk about where he'll end up in #NBArank in five years, a handy way to talk about his future standing in the league.

At that point, everyone in #NBArank's top 10 with the exception of Anthony Davis and Kawhi Leonard will be on the wrong side of 30. So there's a lot of space that will open up.

I think he's a top-five player in five years and could end up being the second-best big man in the NBA, behind only Davis.

Pelton: I'd say top 10 is realistic with top five certainly a possibility. There are a few more established players under 25 currently outside the top 10 such as Kyrie Irving and other young players who have a chance to rise into the top five, including Towns' teammate Andrew Wiggins.

Still, I like Towns' long-term potential better, and there are not many young players I'd bet on over him.