After attempting just two shots in the fourth quarter of the New York Knicks’ Game 2 meltdown against the Atlanta Hawks, Karl-Anthony Towns chalked it up to not having the opportunity to fire away. That is not what you want to hear from your highest paid player.
Here’s the thing: He’s right. And the Knicks at large—coaches, players, the front office, cotton candy vendors, etc.—should make note.
Because if KAT is disinvolved on offense the way he was down the stretch in Game 2, he won’t be the one to blame.
Karl-Anthony Towns’ shot attempts aren’t always up to him
Like it or not, KAT is generally reliant on others to generate looks for him. Almost 58 percent of his twos came off assists this season, while nearly 95 percent of his triples were jump-started by a helping hand.
This isn’t breaking news. It is right in line with the rest of Towns’ career. New York knows who it traded for: a transcendent floor-spacing seven-footer who’s neither hard-wired nor deployed in ways that allow him to take over games without a nudge in that direction.
The Knicks’ approach late in Game 2 was not conducive to KAT going off. Sure, there was a possession or two in which he could have battled harder for positioning in the post. Or maybe you’re peeved by the swing pass he made on a potential arc three to Mikal Bridges on the wing.
By and large, though, New York wasn’t pressing the issue. From the moment Towns checked back in, with just under eight minutes to go, the two-man game between him and Jalen Brunson that has been more prominent recently retreated into the background. When KAT did screen for JB, the latter was (for the most part) in score-first, score-second, and score-third mode. Finding Towns was not the priority.
The Knicks must adjust further if they want Karl-Anthony Towns to do more
Without question, this is a frustrating subject matter. Towns is making over $53 million. Fans, podcasters, bloggers, national pundits, etc. don’t want to hear excuses. Especially from him. Towns has not always endeared himself to the public. He offers justifications that verge on deflections. It is maddening to watch him disengage or disappear, then attempt to explain it away.
Once more, though, this isn’t what happened here. For someone who only attempted 10 shots through the first three quarters, he was trying pretty damn hard. He crashed the offensive glass, and moved the ball.
If the Knicks want him to be more of a scorer, they’ll have to do a consistent job of getting him the ball—not just early in games, but during crunch time, too.
That may require a wholesale shift in the clutch New York isn’t prepared to undergo. If that’s the case, Mike Brown more than ever needs to reintegrate KAT’s solo minutes into the rotation. His usage alongside Brunson sits at 23.3. It jumps to 29.7 without him. Towns has no choice in those secondary lineups other than to be more aggressive.
Failing that, we’re back to the Knicks having to make getting him the ball a priority. It may not be convenient. It’s definitely not ideal. But it’s the reality this team has been complicit in creating for itself.
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