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Knicks Star Shares Unique Stat With Kevin Durant

Kevin Durant and one New York Knicks player lead the league in one obscure stat.
New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns is interviewed on the court after the Knicks defeated the Atlanta Hawks at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images
New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns is interviewed on the court after the Knicks defeated the Atlanta Hawks at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images | Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

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The New York Knicks knew that they were rolling the dice when they traded for Karl-Anthony Towns right before the start of training camp.

The goal in acquiring Towns was to take some of the offensive pressure off of Jalen Brunson, and that has been executed.

Bleacher Report writer Grant Hughes points out how strong of an offensive presence Towns has been throughout the entire season.

"Towns and Kevin Durant are the only two rotation players shooting at least 52 percent from the field, 42 percent from long range and 80 percent from the foul line. Unlike KD, Towns has significant defensive responsibilities as a center, although he doesn't often handle them well," Hughes writes.

"That's the KAT tradeoff, though, and the Knicks knew what they were getting into when they traded for the sharpshooting, hard-driving big man."

The Knicks have sacrificed some defense to bring Towns into the fold, and whether or not that was a good idea remains to be seen. It has worked in the regular season as the Knicks have already matched their win total with three games to go despite Brunson being out for the past month, but the true measurement of success is whether or not this works in the playoffs.

Towns doesn't have to be perfect this year in order for the deal to be worth it. He still has two more seasons until a player option comes in his contract to figure that out.

That being said, the Knicks stars are all in their prime, and they have to strike while the iron is hot, which means a strong playoff run anchored by Towns will be key if they want to have a chance to make some noise as a core moving forward.

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Jeremy Brener
JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several On SI sites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid and resides in Central Florida. He graduated from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener.