The New York Knicks were just three minutes and 15 seconds into the 2026-27 season when head coach Mike Brown had to look to his bench. That was when Karl-Anthony Towns picked up his second foul in the team’s opening night matchup against the Philadelphia 76ers. As a result, Andre Drummond made his debut in orange and blue.
The Mount Vernon, NY native made a historic first impression on any fans at Madison Square Garden unfamiliar with his game. Drummond blocked a Joel Embiid jump shot in the mid-range and — according to the Knicks — recorded the third-fastest double-double of any Knick player in the play-by-play era, since the 1996-97 season. He was also, however, exhausted by the second half.
Mike Brown said that he probably ran the center for too long, resulting in his lower-quality performance in the second half. Against an opponent like the 76ers, though, what other chance did the head coach have? The Knicks' only other option at center is James Wiseman. The center is an intriguing project, especially given the team's circumstances, who was objectively planning to head to Europe at the start of the offseason because of a general lack of NBA interest.
Brown was open during training camp about the team's need for more depth at the center position. He clarified during the preseason that none of the big-man candidates were "projects," but rather ready contributors at the NBA level. However, he clearly wasn't willing to dump a matchup like Joel Embiid on Wiseman in game one. Even though the Knicks acquired a third center, they still need to upgrade their depth at the position.
Knicks were reminded quickly that they lost two centers last summer
New York's first NBA free agency as the league's reigning champions got off to a sour start when Mitchell Robinson joined the Boston Celtics. Another divisional rival, in the 76ers, took advantage of the Knicks' refusal to surpass the second apron and offered Ariel Hukporti enough money to pry him away from Madison Square Garden.
Towns is indubitably one of the best centers on the planet. He's also going on three years straight as the NBA's leader in offensive fouls. Leaning into his playmaking ability from the top of the key should help him stay out of the paint, where he racks up plenty of those fouls during drives, but those skills weren't exactly on display against Philadelphia.
It's early in the season, and no sweeping judgments should be made about the reigning champions. There isn't much room for error when it comes to repeat efforts in today's NBA, though. Brown will eventually need to see what he has in Wiseman. If it's not enough to support Towns and Drummond, Leon Rose and his front office will need to think about working the phones.
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