Josh Hart just revealed what the Knicks really think about Karl-Anthony Towns

Karl-Anthony Towns’ status within the New York Knicks’ locker room appears to be plummeting toward a painful, very public rock bottom. The latest evidence of his free fall comes courtesy of Josh Hart, who just seized an opportunity to call out the seven-footer.

Asked about whether it’s getting hard to find Towns within Mike Brown’s offensive system, Hart proceeded to offer words of encouragement that were immediately followed by a thinly-veiled warning.

“He's a good offensive player, he's going to figure that out,” Hart said of Towns. “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."

We could pretend that everything’s fine. Clearly, though, it’s not. If anything, things are getting worse. 

Players (and the head coach!) wouldn’t pounce on opportunities to throw barbs at one of their own through the media, at times unprompted, if all was hunky-dory. The Knicks, it seems, don’t just have a Karl-Anthony Towns problem. They have a problem with Karl-Anthony Towns.

The Knicks’ Karl-Anthony Towns problem is escalating

It is tempting to write off Hart’s comments as a trademark troll job. He is no stranger to messing with the media, and his smirk near the end of his answer leaves room for interpretation. But this feels like a reach given…everything else.

KAT’s dynamic with Brown is at the center of it all. He has made awkward, ill-timed comments about his role and sacrifice within the head coach’s offense. His tact rings hollow, and looks even worse when paired with body language so poor that Brown singled it out after a loss to the Sacramento Kings.

This says nothing of Towns recently getting benched in crunch time against the Portland Trail Blazers. Or about Brown going out of his way to defend Draymond Green, while throwing KAT under the bus, following New York’s loss to the Golden State Warriors.

These are not normal bumps in the road. There is nothing typical about Brown’s demeanor toward Towns; about Hart issuing a “Shut up, and defend” mandate disguised as a challenge; or even about KAT lamenting the departure of Cameron Payne, unbidden, when speaking on New York’s post-NBA Cup struggles.

Ignoring these warning signs gets even harder when you consider they predate this season. Players and coaches were apparently frustrated last year with KAT’s lack of defensive communication, engagement, and overall execution. What we’re seeing and hearing now is not a revelation. It’s a continuation—an escalation.

New York’s message to Towns is clear 

Something is rotten in New York. And regardless of who shoulders the most blame, it doesn’t take a renowned code-cracker to see that the Knicks don’t like KAT.

Arguments to the contrary are officially a fool’s errand. The evidence is right in front of us. So many different people have gotten the opportunity to refute the reports about last season’s frustrations, and to defend Towns’ struggles this year. Nobody has jumped on it. Not really. They are more inclined to remain silent, or actively speak out against him.

To be fair, for all we know, there’s so much more we don’t know. Whatever’s happening behind the scenes, though, Hart, Brown, Towns, and the rest of the Knicks have to put on their grown-adult pants, and figure it out. 

Nuclear change is the only viable alternative. And it’s wildly unlikely. The Athletic’s Sam Amick reports the Knicks probably aren’t going to trade Towns—which, if we’re being honest, has more to do with his capsizing market value than the organization’s attachment to him.

For at least the rest of this season, Towns and the Knicks are stuck with one another. They are, quite literally, on the same team. It’s time all of them started acting like it.