Former Timberwolves teammates say Karl-Anthony Towns can expect a lot of emotions in return to Minnesota

Mike Conley and Rudy Gobert have an idea of what Karl-Anthony Towns can expect when he returns to Minnesota on Thursday night.

Conley spent 12 seasons in Memphis and Gobert had nine seasons in Utah before trades ended their tenures in those cities — cities that became fond of each player.

Their first games back as an opponent were emotional, filled with seeing familiar faces but experiencing unfamiliar feelings.

“For me, it felt really weird,” Gobert said. “Seeing some part of the building that I had never seen before. Being so used to that routine of walking in and going to the areas that we go to at home. But coming from being on the road, that experience is always different.

“I remember that first time it was like, ‘This is what the [visiting] locker room looks like?’ It was weird for me not to keep going to the end of the tunnel.”

Towns returns to Minnesota for the first time since the team sent him to the Knicks in late September in a trade that brought Donte DiVincenzo and Julius Randle to the Wolves. Since arriving in New York, Towns has moved back to center after shifting to the “four” when the Wolves brought in Gobert.

The New Jersey native has endeared himself to hometown fans with a strong start to the season — 24.8 points and 13.9 rebounds per game. That latter stat leads the league. Towns has never been one to hide his feelings, and it’s likely to be a roller coaster of an evening for him on Thursday.

Conley said when he returned to Memphis, he felt “super humbled” by the reaction of the crowd.

“You were so into that moment [playing for that franchise] in the moment that it wasn’t everything to you at that time,” Conley said. “It was cool at the time, but it wasn’t everything. Then you look back at it, you’re like, ‘Man, I miss that. I miss being at that function or being with those group of guys or that coach or being at that game.’ Game 7, whatever that moment is for you, it’s just amplified.

“That’s where the emotion builds up. It was a good ride. It brings back a lot of good memories.”

Conley said there are a lot of good memories from his time as Towns’ teammate, how he enjoyed Towns’ personality, how he was always himself, and Conley said the team respected that.

“The energy he brought every day, just playful sometimes, sometimes it’s super smart, witty, whatever it may be, being funny. Just being himself,” Conley said. “... It’s something that you get used to, and when they leave, it’s like, dang, you miss those moments you see every day in practice.”

Gobert and Towns were once rivals who competed for All-NBA and All-Star slots when they were opponents, but they became friends when the Wolves acquired Gobert. Towns went out of his way to make sure Gobert felt welcome in Minnesota and on the floor by moving positions.

“From Day 1, he always told me that whatever I need, he was always there for me,” Gobert said. “He really made it fun for me to get here into the organization. We started really connecting outside of the floor, also. I felt like he really, truly wanted to see me happy and see me succeed.

“Obviously, that carries over to the team. When your teammates want to see you succeed, you can feel it in the locker room, you can feel it on the floor.”

Towns will feel a lot when he takes the floor at Target Center wearing a Knicks jersey. Eventually, the ball will tip off, but to hear Gobert and Conley tell it, it’ll be unlike any game he has ever played.

“It’s tough, but you try to keep it at basketball as much as you can,” Conley said. “At some point during that game, there’s gonna be an emotional attachment to it that’s hard to explain.”