The New York Knicks have had an interesting season adjusting to new head coach Mike Brown and his system. After a tumultuous midseason adjustment period that involved mixed signals being sent by both coach and player through the media, the big man has seemingly found his groove. Going into the Knicks' Tuesday night matchup against the Cavaliers, Towns has five-straight 20-point games. It's the exact kind of momentum he's been building toward all season – and can't afford to lose as the playoffs get closer by the day.
Towns finally finding scoring groove as Knicks "find ways to win"
Regardless of what colors are on Towns' jersey, what players are sharing the court with him, or who's holding the clipboard on his sideline, one thing is explicitly clear about his game. There's nothing he's better at than scoring the basketball, regardless of where he is on the court, which allows him to serve as an elite play-finisher in the modern NBA.
Comments from Brown and teammates like Josh Hart over the course of Towns' second season with the Knicks have implied that those around the big man in the team's locker room want to see him more focused on the defensive end of the floor than concerned with how many touches he had on offense on a given night.
But Towns isn't out there on the court, or getting paid over $50 million this season, because he has a vast history as a shot-blocker or versatile perimeter defender. He's out there because, for as long as he's been in the NBA, he's been a scoring machine. And the Knicks can't possibly be at their best if they're not finding ways to set him up for success that also simultaneously benefit and leverage his teammates and their skillsets.
Brown has made this immensely clear in recent weeks, telling reporters ahead of the Knicks' game against the Houston Rockets that Towns can help the Knicks get the most out of players like superstar point guard Jalen Brunson if he's properly positioning himself offensively. So long as Towns continues to control what he can control, the Knicks have the personnel to take care of the rest.
Brunson can take games over in crunch time, filling the need every contending team has for a true #1 option scoring maestro. OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges, even amid their up-and-down regular seasons, are good bets to deliver defensively on the perimeter. And Mitchell Robinson, whose health continues to be managed via resting one leg of every set of back-to-back contests, will hold things down under the rim.
Towns' job is to score the ball at a high level, dealing all kinds of damage to opposing defenses not just with different types of shots – but by keeping them honest with regard to their lack of ability to overcommit to defending Brunson when his All-Star center is out there with him. The two need to be willing to keep working together for that to work out at a championship level.
If Towns isn't delivering this kind of scoring impact in the postseason, the team might be forced to rely more heavily on Robinson than they – or the backup center's body – can afford.