Knicks' Karl-Anthony Towns Prioritizing Personal Stats?

Karl-Anthony Towns' move to the New York Knicks has exposed troubling patterns in his game. Despite joining a championship-contending roster with Jalen Brunson, Mikal Bridges and OG Anunoby, Towns is prioritizing individual scoring over team contribution, a trend that threatens New York's title hopes.

The Usage Rate Problem: Why Isn't Towns Adapting?

The most damning evidence lies in Towns' flat usage rate. In 2023-24 with Minnesota (sixth seed), Towns operated at a 27.4% usage rate while averaging 21.8 points and 3.0 assists. In 2024-25 with the Knicks (third seed), his usage stayed virtually identical at 27.3%, yet scoring jumped to 24.4 PPG while assists barely moved to 3.1 APG.

When elite players join better teams, they typically reduce their usage or increase assists. Towns did neither. He maintained the same share of possessions while scoring more, rather than facilitating. Scoring rose 11.9% while assists increased only 3.3%.

Compare this to Jalen Brunson. Brunson reduced field goal attempts from 21.4 to 18.5 (down 13.6%) while increasing assists from 6.7 to 7.3 (up 8.9%). He shot 60.5% true shooting and deliberately normalized his role. That's team-first basketball, something Towns refuses to embrace.

The Isolation Epidemic: Towns' Selfish Shot Selection

Towns' shot profile exposes his priority. Despite being an elite shooter, three-point attempts dropped from 5.3 to 4.7 per game. Why? He's prioritizing post-ups and isolations. Towns averaged 3.3 post-ups per game, ranking among only eight players with 3.0+ post-ups league-wide.

While Towns converts these isolations efficiently (0.742 points per post-up), every post-up is a possession where elite perimeter talent stands watching. The Knicks ranked in the bottom eight in passes per 24 minutes, a ball-movement problem that Towns amplifies.

His rebounding surge tells the story. Towns' rebounds exploded 54% from 8.3 to 12.8 per game. This dramatic increase suggests more low-post isolation time rather than spacing for teammates. Elite facilitating bigs don't see rebounding spikes without corresponding assist increases, unless camping the paint for self-stats.

Nov 9, 2025; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) looks to drive past Brooklyn Nets center Nic Claxton (33) in the second quarter at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images | Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

Towns' behavior mirrors Carmelo Anthony's Knicks tenure. Anthony became synonymous with "ball-stopping," averaging 19.3 shot attempts with only 3.1 assists, prioritizing volume scoring over playmaking.

Russell Westbrook provides another cautionary tale. During triple-double seasons, Westbrook faced stat-padding accusations, ranking dead last in contested shots among 30+ minute players while chasing rebounds.

Towns risks becoming New York's next cautionary tale. The Knicks need a facilitating big man to maximize Brunson, Bridges and Anunoby, not another high-usage scorer. Until Towns reduces isolation frequency, increases assists, and prioritizes ball movement, the championship window stays narrower than it should be.

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