The Knicks are a good team. They may not always look or play like it. But they are. At 37-21, they have a top-five record in the league, have a top-three offense, a defense that has been on the cusp of being top 10 in defensive rating, and remain top five in net rating as well. Despite all of these things being true, though, it’s not a stretch to say that this team, one that has had championship aspirations from day one, has also been among the most disappointing ones in recent memory.
They can’t beat the Pistons, the one team that has consistently been ahead of them in the Eastern Conference standings. Their bench has been an inconsistent question mark for much of the season. Mikal Bridges continues to have stretches where he seemingly disappears. And the starting lineup, despite posting better stats this year, still struggles against great defenses. Among the most alarming concerns this season, though, has been the disappointing season that Karl-Anthony Towns has had… Or that’s at least what the majority of the fanbase wants to think. But is that a fair assessment?
Now, some of the frustrations are warranted. Over his first 10 years in the league, Towns earned a reputation for being one of the most efficient scorers in the league. During that span, the big man averaged 23.1PPG on 52.4% shooting from the field, and 40% shooting from three. His rare combination of size, post-up skills, and shooting allowed him to be as good as he is despite his very obvious and frustrating shortcomings on the defensive end.
This year he has looked and performed like a shell of himself. We may never know if there was an underlying injury issue or if it was just the new offense Mike Brown installed last summer. But the version of Towns we have seen for the overwhelming majority of this season has been one of hesitation, disappearance, and uncharacteristic struggles.
Through his first 49 games, Towns averaged 19.7PPG, while shooting 46.3% from the field, and 35.3% from three, while attempting just 14 field goal attempts per game. All of those marks would be the lowest, or second lowests of his career.
Some of it has been him simply missing shots he usually makes. But it’s been deeper than just him missing shots. As evident by his field goal attempts, he’s been featured less as a scorer in the Knicks’ new offense. Instead of having his number called, he is now required to read defenses more and find the best times for him to attack, something he and his teammates have both struggled to do.
Towns has seemed to have turned things around a bit tough. Towns has scored 20 or more points in five straight games, which is the longest streak of the season. And during the stretch, he is averaging 23.4PPG, while shooting 56.6% from the field, and 47.8% from three. He’s been more aggressive, evident by his 15.2 field goal attempts per game, and overall, he’s looked more comfortable, and just as importantly, more decisive.
But it’s clear that this isn’t, and never was, a strictly Towns problem. As mentioned earlier, his teammates have struggled to find Towns, especially when he pops screens. Lately, though, there’s been more of an effort by his teammates, and more specifically, by Jalen Brunson, to get him involved. While the two still lack the two-man game fans dreamed of when they were first paired up, Brunson has looked for his center noticeably more as of late.
Going back to the earlier question, I’d confidently answer that the blame Towns has gotten has been disproportionate and unfair. Towns still deserves some criticism for the way he has shot the ball, the amount he complains (although some of that is warranted given his horrendous whistle), his somewhat improved, but still frustrating defensive miscues, and most importantly, his offensive fouls that make you want to pull your hair out. But the numbers point to him being one of the Knicks, and believe it or not, the league’s most impactful players.
I am firmly on the side of analytics and stats not being absolute. And that they can be deceiving, and or misused. But, hear me out. As seen above, Towns currently has more rebounds than Nikola Jokić or Victor Wembanyama, more points than Stephen Curry or LaMelo Ball, more made 3-pointers than Devin Booker, more steals than Evan Mobley or Rudy Gobert, more double-doubles than Luka Dončić or Cade Cunningham, more assists than Amen Thompson or Isaiah Hartenstein, and h higher plus/minus than Jaylen Brown and Anthony Edwards. Those names and stats, especially since they are totals and not averages, can be cherry-picked to fit a narrative.
But, according to EPM (estimated plus-minus), which is a newer adjusted plus-minus metric that quantifies expected impact, Towns has been great. As of February 23rd, Towns is just one of four players in the league that rank in the 90th percentile or higher in both offensive EPM and defensive EPM.
Are those numbers still not enough? Towns, despite his flaws, remains the team leader in plus-minus this season, with an impressive +336. Brunson is second at just +266. And as mentioned above, the Knicks are now 10.7PPP better with Towns on the court, which happens to rank first in the league among players who have played 1600 or more minutes.
I am not here to tell you that Towns is the Knicks’ best or most impactful player. You can take the data and the eye test and decide for yourself. I’m also not here to tell you that he’s a perfect player. Or that he’s had an amazing season. But I will tell you that despite all of his flaws and despite his not being able to play up to his usual standards, Towns has still had a solid season. He deserved a fair share of the blame for his shortcomings and his offensive inconsistencies. But he doesn’t deserve to have everything blamed on him. He can’t control how much Josh Hart mucks up offenses against good defenses, how bad the bench has been at times, how much Brunson struggled to get him the ball at times, especially in crunch time, or how Bridges occasionally goes MIA. This team, as we’ve all seen, has some clear weaknesses, despite being a very good team. And Towns can’t, and shouldn’t be held accountable for all of them.
I will say this: If the Knicks want to ultimately raise the Larry O’Brien trophy, it’s still on Towns. While he’s been solid and better than many realize, he still has the most to show and improve on as far as performance vs. expectations go. If he and his teammates can get the best version of Towns to show up in the playoffs, this team could take another much-needed leap.