Knicks Scolded for Failing to Assess Glaring Issue

Teams across the NBA have given the viewing public a few games to analyze their post-trade deadline moves, revealing an Eastern Conference full of challengers ready to level up into contenders.

The New York Knicks, once believed to be one of the antsier teams surveying the trade block, didn't make the big move that numerous analysts were attempting to telegraph. Karl-Anthony Towns prevailed through the lingering cloud of rumors in staying put in New York, confirming reports that the front office was unwilling to go above and beyond in moving off of his hefty contract.

He's been helpful in helping to captain the Knicks out of their January funk, making team-first plays with his effort and off-ball activity over recent weeks. New York's more-or-less erased that schneid in returning to the conference's No. 2 seed, and their rotation looks even more sound than before now that the front office has replaced the ill-fitting Guerschon Yabusele with a newcomer, defensive pest Jose Alvarado.

New York Knicks Guards Josh Hart and Jose Alvarado — Feb 25, 2023; New York, New York, USA; New Orleans Pelicans guard Jose Alvarado (15) drives past New York Knicks guard Josh Hart (3) at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images | Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

That instance of creative leveraging gives them a bit more flexibility in their lineup, someone else who can fill in for Jalen Brunson's own questionable defense while keeping the ball moving on offense, but concerns remain for the squad following their subtle day of trading. The Brunson- and Towns-led Knicks will still inherently raise red flags due to that leaky defense, no matter how many contributors they add along the margins.

Towns' Fit in New York

The center would have been a lot easier to trade that Brunson, who management wouldn't even dream of touching. Unlike the guard, Towns' struggles have lingered all throughout the season, and following his inconsistent playoff run last spring, he doesn't come close to Brunson in terms of how much trust he's earned out of the organization and the Knicks' fan base.

Brunson's lineups when he's surrounded by defenders made for one of the biggest takeaways from the team's recent surge, with all of the options to help cover up for the little guard making his life easier on defense. "Even if the solution was to add another defensive-minded big who could play more minutes than Mitchell Robinson, it could have helped," FanSided's Jack Simone wrote. "But the Knicks didn't do that, and they didn't trade Towns."

But when all of those complementary wings each can't buy a bucket, the idea of splitting with Towns gets a lot more difficult. Even when he's not on his A-game, opponents still have to respect how dangerous the big is in space and by the perimeter.

New York Knicks Center Karl-Anthony Towns and Guard Jalen Brunson — Jan 9, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) and guard Jalen Brunson (11) against the Phoenix Suns at Mortgage Matchup Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Lineups that feature both Brunson and Towns make for an unsurprisingly-high net rating of 7.09, and though Brunson's been a generally better player than Towns for the entirety of their season and a half as an All-Star pair, the defensive swing that occurs when the guard departs and the center remains is enough to put the Towns-led lineups over the Brunson-led minutes by impact. Granted, their defensive rating of 104.98 without either of the studs would be one of the best marks of the league, but you need someone out there to make some tough shots.

It's an interesting pickle for the front office to work around, raising the question of how much ninth-man defenders matter when the two best scorers are the two worst stoppers. As long as they'll continue sharing the floor for big minutes, a likely outcome considering how much they need one another and how committed the franchise is to making this iteration of the Knicks work, head coach Mike Brown will have his work cut out for him.

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