Led by Jalen Brunson, the New York Knicks felt certain that they had found their franchise cornerstone. However, they also recognized the need for other stars around him in a jam-packed Eastern Conference. As a result, the team has made various roster tweaks over the years.
One key change was replacing Julius Randle with Karl-Anthony Towns to give the team an offensive boost. In his first year, that model worked well, as the team reached the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time in 25 years. However, a stark drop in numbers this year doesn’t seem like the best path for the franchise.
Why Karl-Anthony Towns’ Production Is Dipping for the Knicks
Seen as a franchise piece as a sweet-shooting 7-footer, Towns was taken first overall in the 2015 NBA Draft. However, he fit in as a secondary star behind Anthony Edwards for the Minnesota Timberwolves due to a lack of defensive impact.
But after the trade, he fit a perfect need in New York as a secondary scoring threat. In his first year with the Knicks, as he earned an All-NBA and All-Star nod, he averaged 24.4 points and 12.8 rebounds per game while shooting 52.6% from the field and 42% from 3-point range.
That success carried over into the playoffs, as New York vanquished the reigning NBA champions, the Boston Celtics, in the second round, en route to the franchise’s ninth Conference Finals appearance.
Unfortunately, this season hasn’t been the same for the six-time All-Star. As his points and rebounds have dropped to 20 and 11.9, respectively, the shooting numbers have also taken a dip (49.5% from the field and 36.6% from long distance).
While that drop could be attributed to a drop in minutes, as head coach Mike Brown employs a more depth-friendly rotation, the last two games have really stood out. Against a red-hot squad in the Charlotte Hornets and the reigning NBA champions, the Oklahoma City Thunder, he failed to cross 20 points.
Even more shocking were the shot attempts, as he averaged 8.5 attempts over the two nights. Chandler Parsons, who spent nearly a decade in the NBA, believed some of the onus fell on the team, but Towns needed to make the case for himself.
“He’s got the respect and the control to talk to Jalen Brunson, ‘Give me the ball in the post. Give me the ball at the block. Let’s go play the two-man game, me and you.'” But that conversation cannot be limited to his superstar point guard alone.
“Him and Mike Brown have got to have a better dialogue because this team, if they’re gonna get to where they want to get to, he’s got to be in the rhythm more. He’s got to be more involved, and he has to be that real second option, and on some nights, first option.”
It remains to be seen if the Knicks, and KAT specifically, are going to have another gear to get to in the postseason. That personality switch could be the key to the team’s final goal. But so far in his career, Towns hasn’t shown that kind of mentality on the court.
So it will be interesting to see if that changes moving forward, as the pressure on this version of the Knicks continues to mount in New York.
