Kendrick Perkins Claims Knicks Star is Under Most Pressure to Win

There are several star players in the NBA who need to do just a little bit more to move into the top tier of truly elite talents in the game. According to former New Orleans Pelicans center Kendrick Perkins, one player in particular is under more pressure to win than anyone else in the league.

During a recent appearance on NBA Today, Perkins argued that New York Knicks center Karl Anthony-Towns is the player under the most pressure to deliver a championship in the coming seasons, largely because of a handful of unfortunate shortcomings during his decade-long career

“When you talk about players, which players are under the most pressure to deliver, that’s Karl-Anthony Towns," Perkins said, "Like it’s time for him to deliver. It’s been a lot of criticism when it comes down to Luka Doncic and what he did defensively, and being in shape. Well, KAT falls in that category.

“KAT is a walking bucket. He’s one of one. Arguably the best shooting big we’ve ever seen. He’s really, really skilled, but that’s not what he needs to correct. He needs to correct his ability to get up and down the floor, be able to slide those puppies, because he was getting cooked in the big role.”

Second Season In The Big Apple

Towns is coming off his first season with the New York Knicks, a mostly successful season that saw Towns earn NBA All-NBA third team and All-Star honors with 24.4 points and a career high 12.8 rebounds per game en route to a trip to the Eastern Conference Finals.

May 16, 2025; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) celebrates his three point shot against the Boston Celtics during the first quarter of game six in the second round of the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

The 29-year-old Piscataway, New Jersey native also played in the conference finals in 2023-24 with the Minnesota Timberwolves, the longest playoff run in his nine-season stint with the franchise that selected him with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft many moons ago.

Minnesota received a pretty sizable haul in return for Towns, including Julius Randle, Donte DiVincenzo, and this year's 17th overall pick, Joan Berringer. The trade seemingly worked out well for both ends, as the Timberwolves made a return trip to the Western Conference Finals themselves despite a slow start.

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The New York Knicks open their regular season with a marquee matchup against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Madison Square Garden on October 22. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN and is set for a 7 p.m. ET tip-off ahead of Cooper Flagg's debut with the Dallas Mavericks against the San Antonio Spurs at 9:30 p.m. ET.

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Second Season In The Big Apple

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