Since he wrapped up his rookie year in Minnesota back in 2015-16, Knicks star big man Karl-Anthony Towns has never had more than two games in a season in which he was held to under 10 points. It happened once last year, when Tom Thibodeau was coach of the Knicks, and it happened twice in 2023-24, his final season with the Timberwolves. In the course of his last 10 NBA seasons coming into this one, Towns has failed to crack double-digits in a game only 10 times.
It’s happened four times already this year, most recently on Monday in the Knicks’ ugly, 121-90 loss to the Pistons, which saw Towns score six points on 1-for-4 shooting. He was 1-for-5 for two points on December 21 against the Heat, and had a nine-point game in November and an eight-point game in October.
Towns’ scoring has dipped to 21.5 points per game, down from 24.4 last year, and his shooting percentage has dropped to 47.1%, lowest of his career and well below his 52.1% career norm. It’s become clear in the first half of this Knicks’ season that something is not quite right with Towns.
Knicks Seeking Dirty Work From Karl-Anthony Towns
The problem, it turns out, is new coach Mike Brown–or rather, the offense that Brown is trying to get his Knicks to run. More of the offensive is flowing through star guard Jalen Brunson, and his scoring has jumped up to 29.2 points this year. Brown is also getting the bench more heavily involved, with Jordan Clarkson and Tyler Kolek leading the way, something Thibodeau never really embraced.
It all means someone is going to his numbers knocked back, and for the Knicks, it is Towns. Brown wants him to be more of a dirty-work player but that’s never really been Towns’ strong suit. He admitted he just can’t seem to find a good fit within Brown’s offense.
“Different system,” Towns said . “It’s just different. …
“Biggest adjustment is for me. Like Mike said, I make the biggest sacrifice. We’re figuring it out. We’ve got a long flight, a practice tomorrow, we’ve got to sit down and figure out who we are and how we want to get back on track.”
GettyMike Brown, coach of the New York Knicks
Karl-Anthony Towns-Mike Brown Tension Reported Earlier
Some Knicks tension between Towns and Brown had been reported earlier in this season, and that’s not necessarily a surprise anytime a team brings in a new coach. But ESPN’s Brian Windhorst said last week that fences had been mended.
“Early on there was some friction with Karl Towns and his shots are down,” said Windhorst. “He is asked to being doing a little bit more grunt work. He’s still having an excellent season, almost certainly going to be an All-Star. He’s averaging 22 and 12. He and Mike Brown are in a good place right now from what I’m told.”
Knicks on 4-Game Losing Streak
In the big picture, of course, the Knicks have issues that go beyond Towns–they’re not a great defensive team and the do not do well sharing the ball when glue guy Josh Hart (out with an ankle injury) is not on the floor. The Knicks have lost four straight without Hart.
Brown said after the Detroit loss that the team is not panicking. But he invited Knicks fans to do so.
“As a fan you have right to panic,” Brown said . “You have a right to boo, you have a right to cheer. That’s what this is, this is a sport and Knicks fans are passionate, and they’re pretty knowledgeable, too, from the little bit of time I been here. So, I’m good w whatever they do. It’s up to us to ensure we take care of us and we handle the process the right way.”
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