Knicks Could Be Unstoppable if Karl-Anthony Towns Improves One Stat

The 2025-26 NBA regular season has not been the smoothest ride for New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns.

There have been some ups and downs throughout the campaign, leading to trade rumors swirling around him and his future with the franchise being in doubt. Despite everything that has occurred, he was still selected to participate in the NBA All-Star Game.

That is an impressive feat when taking into consideration that he is in the midst of the worst shooting season of his career. His adjustment to Mike Brown's system has been rocky. He is shooting free throws well, but his overall shooting percentage, 3-point percentage and effective field goal percentage are all below his career average.

If the Knicks can figure out a way to get him more comfortable offensively, returning to the numbers that he showed in his first season with the franchise, they will be unstoppable offensively and a legitimate title contender.

Karl-Anthony Towns struggling mightily with shooting efficiency

As shared by Marshall Green on X and confirmed via Basketball Reference, Towns’s shooting numbers are down across the board. A lot has been made about his 3-point shooting struggles, but he hasn’t been nearly as good putting the ball in the basket in any regard.

If KAT can get back to least years shooting #s the Knicks will win the title https://t.co/173Zi9Cx54 pic.twitter.com/SYqAzKJwgA
— Marshall Green (@MarshallGreen_) February 16, 2026

His field goal percentage at the rim has dropped 9%, which has dragged down his shooting percentage on attempts inside 10 feet from the basket as well.

A concerning development, but still not as bad as the drop in his 3-point shooting. Towns has seen his percentage on catch-and-shoot 3s drop by 10.3%. On open 3-pointers, he is down 6.8%.

Inconsistent 3-point shooting has had the biggest negative impact on his shooting percentages. There could certainly be some positive regression to the mean, but an adjustment in the game plan could also help get Towns on track.

Last season, the Knicks dominated when using the bench because Towns was made the focal point of the offense with Cameron Payne running the second unit. His loss hurt more than expected, with Jordan Clarkson not operating as a playmaker and facilitator but someone looking for his own shot.

New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns in All-Star Game defended by LeBron James of Los Angeles Lakers. — Feb 15, 2026; Inglewood, California, USA; Team World forward Karl-Anthony Towns (32) of the New York Knicks controls the ball against Team USA Stripes forward LeBron James (23) of the Los Angeles Lakers in game three during the 75th NBA All Star Game at Intuit Dome. | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

With Jose Alvarado now in the mix, he has already emphasized getting Towns involved as much as possible. It is something that should continue happening because putting him into actions that get him to preferred spots on the court will help elevate his performance.

What actions does he excel in? New York needs to make a more concerted effort to deploy Towns in pick-and-rolls and pick-and-pops.

He has been involved in the seventh most pick-and-rolls as the roll man this season. However, he is 63rd in frequency with only 13.3%.

That needs to become a more frequent part of the offensive game plan, because out of the players who have at least 100 total pick-and-roll possessions, his points per possession of 1.27 is second behind only Neemias Queta of the Boston Celtics with 1.32.

He has scored 150 total points in those situations, with a 59% effective field goal rate. Increasing the frequency of Towns as the roll man will help unlock another level of efficiency of the Knicks' offense, making them even tougher to stop.

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