Knicks Star Emphasizes Need for Defense

The New York Knicks must get better on the defensive end of the floor.

Dec 11, 2024; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) reacts during the second quarter against the Atlanta Hawks at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns knows how important defense can be.

He got a first-hand example of that as his Minnesota Timberwolves, who were a top-three defensive team last season, made it all the way to the Western Conference Finals last season.

“It’s true what they say and I’ve seen it — they say offense wins games and defense wins championships. And it’s true. Just an example: last year in Minnesota we got to the Western Conference Finals and it was the defense that got us there," Towns said h/t Posting and Toasting.

“It’s important that we go back and focus on the other side of the court and be the best version that we can be."

The Knicks have one of the league's best offenses coupled with one of the worst defenses, and Towns knows that the defense has to be better without sacrificing too much of the offense.

“Obviously, it’s great we have a head start for us right now, statistically where we need to be offensively to be that team but the defense has to catch up and match that standard," Towns said. "And once we do that, you hope at the end of 82 games that you step into the playoffs and you have both sides figured out.”

The defense made some improvements in their latest win against the Orlando Magic, holding them to just 91 points on 42.4 percent from the floor and 30 percent from downtown.

If the Knicks can figure out how to return to the top-10 defensive form that they had a year ago, they could become a true championship contender. It remains to be seen how the Knicks will make that ascent, but the results matter more than the process in this particular scenario.

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