The New York Knicks arein a pretty disastrous spot. They’ve lost eight of their last 10 games, and the Toronto Raptors are catching up to them for the third seed in the Eastern Conference. And now, to make things even crazier, the Knicks are reportedly considering the idea of trading Karl-Anthony Towns. But that idea is ignoring a bigger problem.
Is Towns’ defense an issue? Absolutely. But it’s not the real problem. When the Minnesota Timberwolves had Towns in town (pun intended), they were still able to build a great defense around him. So, why haven’t the Knicks been able to do that?
Well, that all comes down to Jalen Brunson.
Karl-Anthony Towns trade rumors can't hide the reality that Jalen Brunson is also a defensive liability
When building a team in today’s NBA, there are a few important factors to consider. Obviously, money is crucial. As is finding a group of guys who mesh well together. And that means considering both sides of the ball.
The Knicks have spent a lot of money, but they’re in an okay place. The Knicks have found a group of guys that mesh well together. The Knicks did not consider both sides of the ball.
Josh Hart, OG Anunoby, and Mikal Bridges can only do so much. They’re all very talented defenders, but when teams run the pick-and-roll, none of them are involved. That’s because opponents almost always try to pick on Brunson and Towns.
Teams can have one bad defender in their starting lineup. At least, they can have one bad defender who is a star player. It’s not easy to get away with, but teams can do it. Having two is as close to a death sentence as anything in the NBA.
New York has two: Brunson and Towns. Trading Towns would definitely help solve the problem, but it would also make their offense a lot less impressive.
Obviously, they can’t necessarily trade Brunson, as he is unequivocally the best player on the roster and the engine of everything they want to do on the offensive end.
However, acting like Towns is the sole problem isn’t fair. Would trading him help the Knicks’ biggest problem? Sure. But it also wouldn’t fix everything.
Their biggest defensive issue is a combination of Brunson and Towns’ defensive inabilities, not just Towns’.
Maybe trading Towns will solve most of the Knicks’ problems, but they’ll still have one defensive liability in the lineup. All the talk about Towns’ struggles on defense, and the ensuing trade rumors, are hiding the fact that Brunson is just as much of an issue on that side of the ball.