When the Knicks traded for Karl-Anthony Towns, it brought along the highest preseason expectations for the franchise this century.
All signs pointed to a legitimate contender to win the NBA title: they had the floor general, they had the wing stoppers/shooters, they had the All-NBA center, and they had the coach.
Little did we know as fans, there were a couple of underlying early-season problems that we did not foresee.
Every rose has its thorns
Towns has been spectacular on the offensive end of the court. He’s averaging nearly 25 points and 12 rebounds per game, along with a mind-numbing 53% clip from long range. The chemistry with Brunson has begun to develop, and he’s scoring at all three levels to pair with his usual glass-cleaning self.
The issue has come on the defensive end. Towns has statistically been one of the worst individual defensive players in the NBA this season, being unable to protect the rim or contend with opposing bigs who present matchup problems on the perimeter.
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The absence of Mitchell Robinson’s presence protecting the rim is glaring, and the hole Isaiah Hartenstein left is gaping. If Towns isn’t going to be a factor at that end, Mikal Bridges and OG Anunoby have to be exceptional on the perimeter. Keeping opponents out of the paint and not letting them attack Towns will be crucial for the Knicks going forward.
Getting creative
We also may see more of Bridges/Anunoby defending opposing teams’ centers.
We saw a glimpse of it on Sunday night in Indiana when Myles Turner was torturing the Knicks in the fourth quarter with pick-and-pop three-pointers. Tom Thibodeau adjusted by placing Bridges on Turner and Towns on Jarace Walker, who is far less of an offensive threat. Doing this makes rebounding more challenging, but there’s no rebound to grab if the ball continuously goes in.
It will be a developing story of how Thibodeau adjusts to these Towns’ flaws. The depth remains a concern, but health is also a factor. As guys come back and new faces continue to get acclimated, the defense must improve. Otherwise, the once all-world expectations for this team will become all-Cancún.
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