Karl-Anthony Towns gave the Knicks a glimpse of something different in the playoffs, and if the chatter coming out of the organization is any indication, that was only the beginning.
New York found a new way to use Towns during its first-round run, putting him in the middle of the offense when Atlanta’s defense made scoring difficult enough to force a change. Mike Brown leaned into Towns as a playmaker, and that wrinkle helped the Knicks turn a 2-1 deficit into a 4-2 series win.
The idea didn’t disappear after that. The Knicks kept returning to it at points later in the postseason, even if longer defenders such as Evan Mobley and Victor Wembanyama made those looks harder to sustain as the competition got tougher.
But the bigger point is what comes next. Brown now has the entire offseason to sharpen those Towns-centered packages, and Alan Hahn said on “Knicks Fan TV” that one assistant coach believes the best version of it still hasn’t been shown.
“One of the assistant coaches I talked to about the offense with KAT as the hub, cause I said, 'Wow, this is a new look for you guys!' and he's like, 'You ain't seen nothing yet.
Wait til' we get a full training camp with this. Like there's so many layers, but we don't have enough time to put it in.
So next year,' he's like, 'our offense is going to be completely bigger, with many more options,' Hahn explained.
Hahn, who works for ESPN and MSG Networks, said the assistant also pointed to the way defenses have already started to show their hand when Towns is running actions from the top of the key. New York has already seen some of those counters, and that experience should matter as the Knicks keep building around the look.
The offense has already gone through plenty of evolution, from the NBA Cup Championship to the NBA Finals victory, and that process gave the Knicks a chance to work through the rough edges before settling on a clearer path.
There are still moving parts. Mitchell Robinson is no longer available to help Towns when foul trouble arrives early.
But there are other names worth watching, including Mo Diawara, who could use a full offseason of workouts as an NBA player to become more of a scorer on cuts. OG Anunoby also has every reason to enter next season with real confidence as a scorer, and that could mean more opportunities for him to keep taking advantage of the playmaking he already has.
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