Knicks Jalen Brunson breaks silence on Karl-Anthony Towns' fit with New York
10/01/2024 02:00 PM
When the New York Knicks traded for Karl-Anthony Towns, the NBA world went into a frenzy, especially Jalen Brunson. After they missed out on the Eastern Conference Finals, they upgraded hugely. Brunson teased KAT’s impact once he landed in the Big Apple.
“He’s going to be a great piece once he gets here and then we’ll go from there,” Brunson said.
The Knicks had a solid center rotation throughout the 2023-24 season with Isaiah Hartenstein and Mitchell Robison. The latter missed a decent chunk of the season with a knee injury, so Hartenstein stepped in. While he was a solid contributor, not many centers can bring what Anthony Towns brings.
He has a unique blend of shooting, ball-handling, playmaking and post-work. While he’s spent the last two seasons with Rudy Gobert, he was forced to play the power forward position. Even though KAT still succeeded, it limited his offensive prowess. He wasn’t able to dominate the paint as effectively, since Gobert was establishing his presence there.
How can Karl-Anthony Towns fit in with Jalen Brunson and the Knicks?
Now, there is a plethora of space for Anthony Towns to use. He has Brunson, Mikal Bridges, and Josh Hart within the starting lineup. All of those players can make threes at an efficient rate. The interesting thing will be the two-man game between Brunson and KAT. The latter isn’t a rim-runner like Mitchell Robinson is. He’s more of a true scorer.
There can be a lot more pick-and-pop situations with the two, in addition to simple post-ups. Both Brunson and KAT are excellent for their positions with operating on the block. As a result, the Knicks can be a heavy free-throw shooting team. The inside-out presence with two of the most important positions can be great.
However, there are still some concerns about the defense. While Brunson was alright defensively, he had Robinson as the rim protector. KAT hasn’t shown much of being an elite rim protector. Although he’s improved every season, it might not be at the level necessary to win.
Both the Knicks and the Timberwolves were great teams because of not only their perimeter defense but the rim protection. Both Robinson and Gobert are fantastic rim protectors for their position. Having Anthony Towns replace Robinson could be a downgrade on the defensive side of the ball.
Despite the defensive concerns, the Knicks are getting one of the most talented and gifted centers in the NBA. Now that he’s reunited with head coach Tom Thibodeau, KAT should be a focal point of the offense once again, along with Brunson.
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