As much as this is Jalen Brunson’s Knicks team, its universe sometimes feels like it revolves around Karl-Anthony Towns. He’s the back line of the defense as the starting center, the No. 2 option offensively, and an emotional core relative to Brunson’s stoic demeanor.
When things are going well this isn’t an issue, but Towns was having a down scoring year, and when the Knicks hit a rough 2-9 patch following their NBA Cup victory, a disproportionate amount of the blame fell on him. Towns and the rest of the team did take their foot off the gas defensively, and he’s been struggling with the new offensive system all season.
But Towns has started to turn his season around, and the Knicks are rediscovering their winning ways. Here’s how the former first overall pick righted the ship, and what that means for the Knicks’ playoff prospects...
It’s hard to pinpoint the reason for Towns’ rough start to the year. It could be attributed partially to injury, as he played through a quad strain out of the gate, or adjusting to the new offensive system.
Perhaps it was just a slump, as his shot diet went largely unchanged outside of a general decrease in volume. He shot the same threes he usually did, from similar distances with similar coverage, and ditto for his drives and post-ups. They all just converted way worse than usual.
Through the end of November, Towns averaged 21.7 points on an uncharacteristic 51.3 percent clip from two-point range and 32.7 percent from three. His career averages are 56.6 percent and 39.8 percent, respectively, marking massive drawdowns.
This poor shooting appeared to impact his process. He started forcing things, not playing within the flow of the offense, further compounding the issue and letting it impact his defense.
Towns appeared to find his groove during New York’s dominant December. The Knicks lost four games all month and won the NBA Cup, while Towns shot over 44 percent from deep and recorded four 35-point performances.
January’s losing skid brought Towns back into his shooting woes as the defense around him collapsed to one of the worst in the league. His own performance didn’t help, and both he and the Knicks found themselves at rock bottom.
His name even popped up in trade rumors, beyond the obvious links to Giannis Antetokounmpo. They didn't come to pass, and for good reason, as Towns had already begun piecing his game and season back together.
It started with defense and rebounding. Towns actually continued scoring at low efficiency while the Knicks rattled off eight straight wins, but his work on the other end was undeterred.
Towns put up back-to-back 20-rebound nights, and 10 straight double-digit rebound games in this latest stretch, making himself felt whether he was scoring or not. His defense picked up intensity, and the rest of the team followed.
Early on in the turnaround, Towns still looked uncertain and shaky offensively. But he stopped forcing and started picking his spots while looking for his teammates more.
His game simplified, and we’re starting to see the results of it bearing fruit. In Towns' last eight games, he’s at 65 percent shooting from two and 44 percent from three.
The output still isn’t extended, but he recently strung together five straight 20-point games for the first time this season, an excellent step. Some credit is due to his coaching staff and teammates for further emphasizing him as the clear-cut second fiddle, which has helped get him going.
Otherwise, most of his game has remained the same. Locking in defensively and not getting too into his own head offensively seemed to do the trick.
If this is a true development and not an aberration, it means the world to the Knicks, who are trying to compete for a championship. They wouldn’t have made it six games into last year’s Conference Finals without Towns' heroics in Detroit, his defensive leap against Boston, and his miracle Game 3 in Indiana.
New York needs Towns playing at his best, and even now we’re only returning to that form. If Towns gets more comfortable with finding his spots in this offense, and reverts back to that generational floor-spacer and scorer full-time, they’ll be in terrific shape.
There’s no reason this shouldn’t continue. The Knicks have proven themselves defensively capable with Towns in the middle, and nothing about this offensive system should be far outside of his skill set to handle.
The Knicks might need to continue catering more set plays and freelance playmaking in Towns' direction. He also needs to recognize when he has an advantage, command position and demand the ball more.
This season, and the previous one, has shown they can figure this out. It looks like they are already beginning to.
Matthew Pouliot
George Bissell
