Knicks Star Must Change to Reach Championship

New York Knicks big man Karl-Anthony Towns is getting ready for another go with the team a little over a year after being traded by the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Towns performed well under head coach Tom Thibodeau, but with Mike Brown now in charge, his role in the offense should be a little different than it was.

"Towns' transition from Minnesota to New York was rather seamless despite the shocking, eve-of-training camp blockbuster trade that sent him there. He very quickly developed chemistry with Knicks point guard Jalen Brunson, and the two formed one of the most effective pick-and-roll duos in the league. But opponents learned how to bottled up the Towns-Brunson two-man game, and new coach Mike Brown will be tasked with getting that pick back online as well as featuring Towns in more offensive sets as the Knicks aim to diversify their attack," ESPN insider Ramona Shelburne wrote.

New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns speaks to the media during a media day press conference. | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Towns, like everyone else on the roster, will have to make some kind of transition. However, as one of the key offensive cogs in the machine, Towns' changes might end up amounting to more than some of his teammates.

Towns averaged 24.4 points, 12.8 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game for the Knicks during the 2024-25 campaign while shooting 52.6 percent from the floor.

The offense under Thibodeau was one-dimensional when it came to Brunson as the lead guard, but Brown is expected to have a bit more complex system. That could lead to some dysfunction early in the season trying to learn how to coexist in Brown's system, but it has a higher ceiling than what Thibodeau had while he was leading in New York.

The sooner Towns picks up the plays Brown has in store for him in Brunson, the better off the Knicks will be. The ceiling Towns and the Knicks have is reaching the NBA Finals and winning it all if everything goes right, so the hope is that the former No. 1 overall pick will get on the same page with Brunson to help New York get to the pinnacle of the basketball world.

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