The New York Knicks are hoping this can be their year. Over the last few seasons, particularly since Jalen Brunson joined their squad, they have consistently improved and advanced deeper into the playoffs. Now, with a new head coach and a deeper roster, they have the chance to make real noise in the postseason.
However, their latest game against the reigning NBA champions, the Oklahoma City Thunder, may have been a painful reminder. While they lost the game, a lot of the blame fell on their star center, Karl-Anthony Towns.
Why Karl-Anthony Towns Isn’t Holding Up His End for the Knicks
The first overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft, Towns was seen as one of the best prospects of his generation. A sweet-shooting big man with a massive frame, he seemed like the perfect franchise centerpiece for the Minnesota Timberwolves.
However, even after the team tried multiple combinations alongside him, they couldn’t get over the hump. Ultimately, he was traded to the Knicks in the 2024 offseason for a package centered on Julius Randle.
Since coming over to New York, he’s become a reliable second scorer alongside Brunson. But consistency remains a big question for him, as he has remained at fewer than 25 points per game in all but two seasons of his career.
That problem becomes especially prominent when he fails to take advantage of smaller defenders by going to the rack as a 7-footer. Add in his defensive deficiencies, and it becomes a major problem when his shot isn’t falling.
Against the Thunder, the Knicks ran into a similar problem. On the night, the six-time All-Star attempted just 9 total shots and finished with 15 points. As a result, NFL legend and Hall of Famer Shannon Sharpe had some harsh words for him on the “Nightcap Show.”
Shannon Sharpe and Joe Johnson react to the New York Knicks’ loss to the OKC Thunder. They both felt Karl-Anthony Towns should not be allowing defenders like Alex Caruso to guard him so effectively, and that Mikal Bridges needs to step up his game in a big way. pic.twitter.com/MJOT74gRme
— joebuddenclips/fanpage (@Thechat101) March 30, 2026
His biggest problem centered on Towns not exploiting the smaller players on OKC guarding him. “He got [Alex] Caruso. How you let Caruso guard you? I’m like, ‘Come on. Not Caruso, man.'”
While an excellent defender with two All-Defense selections to his name, the two-time NBA champion gives up 7 inches to Towns. As a result, Sharpe’s frustration was palpable.
It remains to be seen if Towns can take his game to another level in the postseason to help guide the Knicks to their first NBA Finals appearance this century. Last year, with him in the lineup, they took down the Boston Celtics en route to the Eastern Conference Finals. Now, they’ll try to take it a step further in this year’s playoffs.
