Karl-Anthony Towns is quickly proving biggest Knicks trade criticism wrong

New York Knicks fans were tired of seeing Karl-Anthony Towns trade proposals all over the Internet. The front office would never actually trade for him, right? Wrong.

What was a regular Friday night became a blur when ESPN's Shams Charania reported that the Knicks were in talks to acquire Towns. Panic began to set in, and emotions heightened even further when Charania reported that New York was sending Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo to Minnesota.

Fans were skeptic, specifically about DiVincenzo's inclusion. The guard is what pushed the deal past the finish line. Fanbases from both teams questioned the trade, and Timberwolves fans are still doing so, but not Knicks fans.

Over a fourth of the season has come and gone, and Towns is excelling. He's averaging 24.8 points, a career-high 13.9 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and one block per game, shooting 52.6% from the field and 43.9% from three. Towns is coming off a season-high 22-rebound performance in Sunday's win over the Magic to go with 22 points.

Many believed that Towns wouldn't be able to handle the pressure of playing in New York. He's often been criticized for being too "soft" throughout his career. He looks like he was destined to play for the Knicks, which is even more notable considering he's from Jersey.

Karl-Anthony Towns is the exact player the Knicks needed

New York fans are happy to have KAT in the city, and he's glad to be there. He hit a dagger three-pointer against the Raptors in Toronto last week. He celebrated by holding his jersey, looking at the camera, and saying, "New York. New f------ York."

Towns arrived in New York and was immediately put under a microscope. People waited impatiently to declare the trade a loss for the Knicks. They're still waiting. It's hard to be traded to a new team, especially after you spent the first 10 years of his career elsewhere. It's even more challenging to be traded days before training camp. Towns has handled the situation exceptionally well.

New York has had its ups and downs this season, but KAT has been one of the biggest highlights. He hasn't run away from the pressure; he's embraced it. The real test will come in the playoffs as the Knicks look to end their Eastern Conference Finals drought. New York has a lot to figure out before then, but there's no denying that the KAT trade was another slam dunk by the front office.