New York Knicks star Karl-Anthony Towns spent the better part of the past week hearing a steady stream of criticism for his lack of assertiveness on offense. He attempted a total of three field goals between the fourth quarters of Game 2 and Game 3, leaving many to ponder the sustainability of his approach.
Towns shut many of the critics down by leading the Knicks to a huge Game 4 victory, but one pesky question persists: Can he step up as the scorer they may need moving forward?
Towns was brilliant in Game 4, posting 20 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists, two steals, and three offensive boards. He shot 6-of-10 from the field and consistently found his way to the line, shooting 7-of-9 on said attempts.
On a night when no other Knicks player produced more than three assists, Towns became the offensive hub around whom everything seemed to revolve.
To that end, New York has every reason to celebrate how head coach Mike Brown has highlighted Towns' most underrated strength. He's tapped into his playmaking ability and positioned him to create for more than just himself.
The question moving forward, however, is identical to the one that was asked after Game 2 and Game 3: Can Towns step up with an aggressive mentality in a close game?
Karl-Anthony Towns was great in Game 3, but scoring questions remain
Towns shot just 2-of-9 from the field through the first three quarters of Game 1, but poured in 11 points on 4-of-4 shooting during the final frame. It was a promising start, but it was also the beginning of a trend of inconsistency across four quarters.
In Game 2, for instance, Towns scored 18 points on 8-of-12 shooting overall, but went scoreless and missed his only two field goal attempts during the fourth quarter.
Fast forward to Game 3 and Towns again looked great on paper. He finished with 21 points, 17 rebounds, four assists, two blocks, and two steals, but tallied just two points during the fourth quarter and shot 0-of-2 from the field.
Considering both Game 2 and Game 3 ended in one-point losses, Towns failing to make a single field goal during the fourth quarter of either is hard to overlook.
Thankfully, Game 4 was less competitive, as the Knicks won by a 16-point margin that undersells their end-to-end dominance. As the series progresses and the Knicks perhaps inevitably enter another fourth quarter in need of a strong performance by Towns, however, the question will resurface: Can he be trusted to consistently assert himself as a scorer?
If the answer proves to be yes, then the Knicks will have strong odds of marching on to the second round of the NBA Playoffs. If not, then the offseason may approach faster than anticipated.
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