Karl-Anthony Towns Lifts Knicks in Power Rankings

The New York Knicks are thriving with Karl-Anthony Towns.

Dec 19, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; New York Knicks forward Karl-Anthony Towns (32) works around Minnesota Timberwolves forward Julius Randle (30) in the third quarter at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images | Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images

Karl-Anthony Towns is a big reason behind the New York Knicks recent success, and people are beginning to take note of his achievements.

Perhaps the biggest sign towards his improvement came in Thursday's win against his former Minnesota Timberwolves team where he made them regret trading him in the first place.

Towns' play as of late has propelled the Knicks to move up one spot in Bleacher Report writer Andy Bailey's latest power rankings.

"Karl-Anthony Towns completely dominated his revenge game against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Thursday, going for 32 points, 20 rebounds and six assists in a 26-point road win," Bailey writes.

"The four-time All-Star went 5-of-5 from deep, offering a vivid reminder of the kind of spacing Minnesota enjoyed when he was a Timberwolf. And even before this performance, it was pretty clear he was on his way to a special campaign.

"Towns is averaging 25.0 points, a league-leading 14.2 rebounds and 3.4 assists, while shooting 46.1 percent from deep."

The only teams to rank higher than the Knicks were the Dallas Mavericks, Memphis Grizzlies, Oklahoma City Thunder, Boston Celtics and Cleveland Cavaliers.

The Knicks acquired Towns for this very reason, to compete among the best teams in the NBA. While the Knicks were a No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference a year ago, Towns raises their ceiling tenfold and makes New York a much likelier contender and threat in the league.

The Knicks are still figuring things out, but as long as Towns is playing at the level he currently is at, New York will continue to hover around the top spot in the power rankings and standings all season long.

Towns and the Knicks return to the court tonight against the New Orleans Pelicans. Tipoff is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET.

Make sure you bookmark Knicks on SI for the latest news, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns and so much more!