The New York Knicks’ biggest gamble is already coming back to haunt them. Two games into the early season, Karl-Anthony Towns is already battling a grade 2 right quad strain that he suffered during preseason, and the team’s already thin frontcourt suddenly looks like its biggest weakness.
Towns’ early injury is testing the Knicks’ gamble
So far, Towns has played through the injury. On opening night, he finished with 19 boards and 11 boards in just 31 minutes of action. He then followed up that performance with 26 points and 13 rebounds against the Boston Celtics while playing 33 minutes, but it was clear he was not himself. He moved gingerly, showing flashes of discomfort that raised eyebrows across the league.
NBA insider Jake Fischer put it perfectly: “He had a double-double, but he did not look his full self. And New York having an injury-plagued frontcourt is something that has been at the forefront of Knicks' decision makers dating back to when they even decided to go out and trade for Karl-Anthony Towns.”
The Knicks knew what they were risking when they gave up depth for star power. Earlier last year, New York shipped off Donte DiVincenzo, Julius Randle, and a draft pick to the Minnesota Timberwolves to bring in Towns. Now, with Mitchell Robinson still sidelined by ankle issues, the team’s frontcourt rotation is hanging by a thread.
Fischer added, “KAT played through this quad strain. He says he’s hurting. He’s already made some kind of veiled comments about not being sure about what his role is moving forward. The Knicks ultimately held on for a win, but this is a very long year with absolute championship-contending aspirations.”
That is what makes this injury a real concern. Quad strains can linger; a standard recovery time is 2-6 weeks, and reinjury is a real threat if a player keeps pushing through it. For a team built to make a deep playoff run, that kind of uncertainty is the last thing they need in the early stages of the season while it still says “October” on the calendar.
The most frustrating part of this whole situation? Towns has been great when he has been on the floor. He has already recorded back-to-back double-doubles and continues to give the Knicks the scoring and rebounding punch they envisioned. But the issue is, if he is not entirely healthy, all that production comes at a cost.
As things stand right now, this is not necessarily panic mode yet, but the Knicks’ margin for error is thin. The trade for Towns was about winning now, and now is when it is getting tested.