The New York Knicks took a big risk.
Last season was probably the best season for the franchise in a very long time, since the halcyon days of Patrick Ewing in the 1990s. Jalen Brunson is a legitimate MVP candidate, the team has an identity and incredible chemistry, and was on track to reach the Eastern Conference Finals before injuries wiped out a large portion of the rotation.
But instead of sitting back and watching, the Knicks continued to reshuffle their roster. They cashed in most of their trade assets with the summer deal for Mikal Bridges, while free agent Isaiah Hartenstein could earn more money elsewhere than the maximum the Knicks could offer. I watched it become.
But the biggest catalyst for this offseason’s makeover came just before training camp, when Leon Rose and the front office traded Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo for Karl-Anthony Towns. . The move improves New York’s offense and gives it a top-tier starting center to replace Isaiah Hartenstein.
At least, that was the idea. But so far, Towns’ reality has fallen far short of his dreams.
Historically, head coach Tom Thibodeau has loved his traditional centers, not that they lack skill, but Thibs has an anchor who can protect the paint, rebound and finish inside. I’m looking for it. Karl-Anthony Towns doesn’t exactly fit that criteria and will always be an outlier. He is a shaky inside defender at best, and if deployed as a primary rim protector he will be limited.
It’s possible that Towns will improve defensively as he gets used to the system and learns to trust his teammates, but if he becomes a true lockdown presence inside, he could miraculously improve as a defender. It will be. His strength has never been in defense.
Rather, it was as a shooter and scorer on offense that Towns made a difference. He has shown overwhelming power as a driving force in the attack, so he has value as a star player. However, so far there have been no shooting incidents in New York.
In the Knicks’ three games so far, Towns has made a total of six 3-pointers, or just two from long range per game. That’s only No. 7 on the roster, but if Towns wasn’t the self-proclaimed “best shooting big man in NBA history,” it would seem like a reasonable number for a center.
Basketball Reference lists 15 centers who have made as many 3-pointers in a game as Karl-Anthony Towns, including Evan Mobley, Bam Adebayo, and Domantas. That includes players who aren’t considered stretch bigs, such as Sabonis. Jay Huff was a two-way player, making 4.3 attempts per game. Jusuf Nurkic averages 2.8. Nikola Jokic leads the league with 6.7 attempts per contest.
Towns should lead the league in 3-pointers, or at least be near the top. That’s the value he brings. He’s not a rim protector, but he can stretch the defense and take long-range shots before bigs who aren’t used to defending on the perimeter wobble to a proper contest. He hits 66.7 percent of those shots with power. It’s just that I don’t take much of it. Last season, he attempted 5.3 3-pointers per game, but in 2019-20 he was averaging 7.9 3-pointers per game. For the type of player Towns is, just two long bombs per game is unacceptable.
Perimeter shooting isn’t the only way Towns can improve the Knicks’ offense. He can punish smaller players in the post and force the opposing team to defend in the center, or he can handle the ball from his elbows and assist by hitting teammates who are cutting. However, his 2-point shots have decreased from 10.1 to 7.3 per game, and he has shifted some of his 3-point shooting to long mid-range. He’s also averaging just two assists per game, down from three last season and 4.8 the year before.
This may just be a small sample, but it’s still concerning. Over the past five seasons, Towns has hit 3-pointers in three games just once, in March 2022. His shot accuracy will fluctuate from game to game, but his volume should have a controllable baseline, at least two per game.
The Knicks may make adjustments to their offensive scheme to give Towns more touches. Defenses will start protecting him differently, which could give him more chances to make 3-pointers. But Towns will probably have to take more shots from the outside when he catches the ball on the perimeter.
Otherwise, his offensive power won’t be enough to justify the defensive limitations he brings to the game. Additionally, with Julius Randle hitting his stride in Minnesota and Donte DiVincenzo continuing to explode (making 25 3-pointers in three games), the trades the Knicks made to finish out their roster It looks like it’s getting worse. If this is the version of Towns they acquired, this trade would be a disaster for the New York Knickerbockers.
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