The Knicks are still very much a work in progress under new head coach Mike Brown, and one of the biggest adjustments has come in figuring out how to unlock Karl-Anthony Towns in this revamped system. Towns, now in his first year with the team and playing under a new head coach for the first time in years, has had to navigate the steepest learning curve on the roster-and Brown knows it.
“He’s getting more comfortable,” Brown said after Friday’s practice at the team’s Tarrytown facility. “But also, too, I’ve had to make some adjustments to help him out, make it a little easier for him, which I’ve done.”
Brown’s system asks a lot of its bigs. Towns and Guerschon Yabusele, who splits time at the four and five, have both been tasked with learning the responsibilities of all five positions on the floor.
That’s no small ask-especially for players used to more traditional frontcourt roles. The early returns have been mixed.
Yabusele, signed with the Knicks’ mid-level exception, has largely fallen out of the rotation. And while Towns is still producing, his numbers are down across the board.
Through this point in the season, Towns is averaging 20.8 points, 11.5 rebounds, and three assists per game. Solid numbers, but a step back from last year-he’s taking fewer shots, scoring fewer points, and shooting with less efficiency. His field goal percentage has dipped by nearly 7%, and he’s down about 6% from beyond the arc compared to his final season under Tom Thibodeau.
Still, there are signs of progress.
“Definitely different and tough, and him learning two positions,” teammate Mikal Bridges said. “Yeah, I think he’s been better and he’s continuing to get better.
And it’s all of us, as well. We’re still getting better in our whole offense, but I’ve seen improvements from him for sure.”
That improvement was on display in the Knicks’ 120-66 blowout win over the Nets on Wednesday. Towns played just 20 minutes but made the most of them, scoring 14 points on 5-of-8 shooting, including 2-of-3 from deep.
He’s quietly been heating up from long range, hitting 13 of his last 29 threes (45%) over his past seven games. It’s a stretch that shows he’s starting to find his rhythm within the new offensive structure.
Brown said the team has made subtle but important tweaks to help Towns feel more at home-adjustments to play calls and actions designed to simplify his reads and get him into his spots more quickly. The coach didn’t go into specifics, but the shift seems to be paying off.
One area the Knicks could look to exploit more? Cross-matches.
At 7 feet tall, Towns has a clear size advantage when teams switch smaller wings or guards onto him. Bridges mentioned the importance of recognizing those mismatches and capitalizing.
“I think it’s just making sure everybody’s on the same page with what we’re doing offensively,” Bridges said. “For him, having a small on him-taking advantage of that.
Giving him opportunities. It just goes with everybody playing off each other, everybody being unselfish and just looking for the next guy.”
Of course, it’s not just about offense. Josh Hart brought up the other side of the ball, emphasizing that Towns needs to stay locked in defensively and avoid the kind of foul trouble that’s limited his impact.
Towns has picked up five fouls in four straight games and added three more against the Nets. As of Friday, he had 149 personal fouls on the season-fourth-most in the league.
“He’s gotta make sure he focuses on defense,” Hart said. “I don’t wanna hear too much about him shooting. I want to hear about him blocking shots.”
But Hart also acknowledged that it’s a two-way street. The coaching staff is working to put Towns in better positions to succeed-whether that’s through post-ups, pick-and-pops, or simply giving him the space to make the right play. The key, Hart said, is for Towns to stay aggressive, smart, and unselfish.
“Just trying to get him in position to be successful, whether that’s shots or post-ups,” Hart said. “Also we need him to be aggressive and be smart first and foremost.
Put the ball in the basket but also get guys shots. I think we’re doing that.
And he continues to be smart with offensive fouls.”
The Knicks are still figuring things out, but there’s a clear focus on making this partnership between Towns and Brown’s system work. The numbers may not be where fans are used to seeing them, but the flashes are there. If Towns continues trending upward-and if the team can keep him out of foul trouble-there’s still plenty of time for this fit to click into place.