The Knicks may have hit the reset button with their record-setting blowout win over the Nets on Wednesday, but the conversation in Tarrytown on Thursday wasn’t about the scoreboard - it was about Karl-Anthony Towns. Specifically, how the former All-Star is fitting into Mike Brown’s system, and how the team is adjusting around him.
Josh Hart, never one to shy away from speaking candidly, fielded questions about Towns’ offensive role and the growing pains that come with integrating a high-usage big into a new scheme. His message?
Towns is going to get his buckets - that’s not the concern. What Hart wants to hear more about is what Towns is doing on the other end of the floor.
“It’s a little different,” Hart said, referring to the team’s evolving offensive structure. “We’re basketball players, we’ve got to be able to adapt to different situations.
Coaches have to adapt to their players, and we have to adapt to coaches. There’s a good middle ground.
Sometimes, we’re still trying to figure that out.”
That middle ground - the balance between player tendencies and coaching philosophy - is still a work in progress. But Hart made it clear that the Knicks’ focus needs to be on defense.
Towns’ offensive skill set is well-established. The real value, Hart emphasized, will come from how he impacts the game defensively.
“He’s a good offensive player, he’s going to figure that out,” Hart said. “We’ve got to make sure we focus on defense. I don’t want to hear too much about his touches, I want to hear about him blocking shots.”
It’s a telling comment - not a shot at Towns, but a challenge. And it reflects the ethos this Knicks team is trying to build: accountability on both ends, with no one above being called out or called in.
To be fair, Towns’ defense hasn’t been the biggest concern this season. His rim efficiency, three-point shooting, and offensive fouling have drawn more scrutiny.
But Hart’s comments weren’t about nitpicking stats - they were about setting a tone. This is a team trying to build something sustainable, and that starts with holding each other to a higher standard.
There’s also a bit of media gamesmanship in Hart’s words. By pivoting the conversation away from Towns’ touches and toward his defensive impact, Hart may have been nudging reporters to shift their lens.
Less talk about shot attempts. More talk about shot contests.
And Hart isn’t exempt from that accountability either. Earlier in the week, he told reporters he’d be a “fraud” if he demanded more from teammates without dominating the margins himself - the hustle plays, the extra rotations, the little things that don’t show up in the box score but win games.
That’s the kind of leadership that resonates in a locker room. Hart’s not just talking about what Towns needs to do - he’s putting himself in the same frame. That shared standard is what Mike Brown is trying to instill in New York: a collective defensive identity, a willingness to sacrifice touches for the greater good, and a culture where calling each other out is seen as a sign of respect, not resentment.
So yes, the Knicks got the win they needed against Brooklyn. But the real work is happening behind closed doors - in practices, in film sessions, and in moments like this, when a veteran like Hart sets the tone for what matters most. And right now, that’s defense.