In the New York Knicks' unthinkable come-from-behind win in Game 2 of their Eastern Conference semifinal series against the Boston Celtics, Karl-Anthony Towns was excellent once again. He poured in 21 points and 17 rebounds in New York's shocking victory that put them up 2-0 in the series. And yet, it still feels like the Knicks can get more out of him.
What we're seeing from KAT right now is him actively re-writing a narrative that has surrounded him for much of his career. For years while he was a member of the Minnesota Timberwolves, critics would say that a Towns-led team would never go far in the playoffs. Well, he certainly proved that wrong last year as the Wolves advanced to just their second Western Conference Finals ever.
But now, Towns is doing it yet again as New York heads back home to Madison Square Garden up two games to none on the defending champions. He has proven two years in a row that he can be one of the top contributors on a team with legitimate championship aspirations.
And yet, as much as KAT has done to prove the haters wrong, there is still work to be done. For the Knicks to actually have a shot of bringing home the Larry O'Brien trophy, Towns will need to continue to up his game.
KAT needs to be a more consistent scorer for New York
Now, some people will think that with him set to turn 30 years old later this year, Towns is just who he is at this point. That you can't teach an old KAT new tricks. Okay, I apologize for that one. But my overall point is that those people are wrong, and Towns has already proven that.
What the Knicks need Towns to do now is become more consistent as a scorer. It was one of the biggest criticisms thrown his way during his days in Minnesota, and it remains a concern now. After averaging 24.4 points in the regular season, KAT is putting up just 18.6 points per game so far in these playoffs.
While that's not a shockingly bad number, it is an indicator that he's fallen off from his production level he was at between October and April. The classic Karl-Anthony Towns experience is that he can go off for 30 one night, then struggle to break double figures in scoring the next.
We saw this in the first round series against the Detroit Pistons. Towns had just 10 points in Game 2, then turned around to put up 31 in New York's Game 3 win. In Game 6, he dropped his second 10-point outing of the series.
It's obviously not always about how many points you can score. But unlike some other players on this Knicks roster, KAT is most effective when he's taking a lot of shots. If he can improve his consistency, New York can truly go far in the postseason.