New York Knicks starting center Karl-Anthony Towns has led the NBA in offensive fouls in each of the past three regular seasons. If the big man gets into early foul trouble, veteran backup Andre Drummond is next up. The team signed him this offseason after forcing themselves out of the Mitchell Robinson business with their self-imposed budgetary limit at the salary cap’s second apron.
Drummond, however, has already been benched in the Knicks’ young season. It’s unknown exactly what head coach Mike Brown hasn’t liked from the center in particular, but the film suggests it’s a lack of defensive effort in transition. Brown has lamented his team’s effort in that department several times through their first seven games.
After Drummond on the depth chart is 25-year-old James Wiseman. The center was on the verge of continuing his career overseas before New York’s desperation — and Brown’s former relationship with the big man from their time together as Golden State Warriors — helped land him an invite to the reigning champion’s training camp. He earned the team’s final roster spot. But when Brown punitively sat Drummond against the Orlando Magic, it revealed the true state of the team's center depth: not good enough to win the Eastern Conference.
Knicks can't expect everything to go according to plan in the playoffs
The Boston Celtics seem more reliant on Jayson Tatum than ever. The Detroit Pistons remain just as reliant on Cade Cunningham as last season. The Philadelphia 76ers, who have certainly hit the ground running at the Knicks' expense, may not be this healthy later on in the season. In an era of the NBA where the Denver Nuggets are the only team over the second apron, seemingly every contender has some kind of exploitable Achilles' heel.
New York bet this past offseason that letting Robinson walk wouldn't take them out of the contending equation. Reports circulated over the offseason regarding the team's internal faith in Towns and Drummond as a center duo — and that the Knicks weren't planning on relying heavily on whoever won the third-string gig.
However, Towns' propensity to pick up fouls early on in games has left the Knicks testing the extent of their depth early and often. Brown presumably won't be benching any of the members of his rotation to prove a point in the postseason, making Wiseman's struggles less relevant. That said, the injuries are unfortunately inevitable — and force teams to deviate from their initial plans.
Last season, the Knicks chose to approach several regular season games without Robinson. They deemed the rest they could get the center more important than the potential victory they may have cost themselves by sitting him. They don't have that luxury this season.
Whether it takes internal improvement from someone like Wiseman or external help acquired via trade or free agency, the margins are small when you're trying to repeat as the NBA Champions. Time is running out for this particular trio of centers to prove themselves. Unless Towns' foul troubles magically disappear for good, the Knicks are likely going to need to make a change ahead of the postseason.
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