Karl-Anthony Towns told reporters after the New York Knicks’ season-opening win that he’s currently playing through a Grade 2 quad strain. The organization, the fans, his teammates, and anyone who likes watching healthy NBA stars play basketball better hope something’s getting lost in translation here.
Any notable strains in the legs can cost weeks of availability. A Grade 2 strain in the hamstring is worth an average of 30-plus days on the sidelines, per Jeff Stotts of In Street Clothes. Stephen Curry missed the Golden State Warriors’ final four playoff games last year with a Grade 1 hamstring strain.
Towns’ issue being a quad injury changes the calculus. But the “Grade 2” is what’s important here. These strains are classified as “partial tearing of muscle fibers.” Full recoveries usually require weeks.
Though Towns did sit out the Knicks’ final two preseason games, fewer than two weeks separated him from opening night and his last appearance. It showed against the Cavaliers, too.
The Knicks should be prepared to Karl-Anthony Towns to miss time
The Knicks are not currently listing Towns on the most recent injury report. As we know all too well, this means absolutely nothing. It looked like this quad injury was going to prevent KAT from suiting up against Cleveland, and he ended up playing anyway.
If he’s really dealing with a Grade 2 quad strain, though, it’s not a matter of whether he’ll miss time. It’s a matter of how much time he’ll actually miss.
Attempting to play through it is admirable. Especially with so much uncertainty surrounding the current and future status of Mitchell Robinson, who is either dealing with an ankle injury, being load managed, or load-managing an ankle injury. But New York can’t afford to let Towns continue gutting it out.
This team has higher aspirations than racking up a bunch of early-season victories. They are aiming for a championship. Making sure Towns is healthy enough at the end of the season is more important than getting tough-guy points in October.
New York may be able to navigate KAT’s absence better than we think
Alarm bells will go off if and when the Knicks find themselves without both Robinson and Towns. So be it. Again: The bigger picture of this season takes priority.
Besides, if the season-opener is any indication, New York won’t be completely barren at the center spot.
Ariel Hukporti hardly appeared overmatched for much of the game. He moved mostly well, threw a couple of dimes, and cleaned up on the defensive glass in the first half. Trey Jemison III stepped up to give the team a spattering of hustle minutes. The Knicks can also explore more Guerschon Yabusele-at-the-5 combinations.
Oh, and then there’s always OG Anunoby-at-the-5. That phrasing wasn’t in Tom Thibodeau’s vocabulary. Mike Brown busted it out for a whisper against the Cavs.
Admittedly, none of these are viable long-term solutions. Putting Yabusele and OG in the middle will only work in certain matchups. Hukporti and Jemison are, for now, supposed to be end-of-rotation luxuries. That’s fine.
Nothing and no one needs to replace Towns. If he’s indeed dealing with a Grade 2 quad strain, the Knicks just need bodies to occupy space in the rotation so he can get the time off an injury like this necessitates.