New York Knicks star Karl-Anthony Towns is in the midst of a season that should garner All-NBA attention. He's produced at a superstar level, helping New York parlay that into a current place as the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference.
Unfortunately, on the rare occasion that the Knicks have failed to add another tally to the win column, a familiar flaw has reared its head on the Towns front.
At 29 years of age, Towns is already one of the most productive big men in NBA history. He boasts career averages of 23.0 points, 11.0 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.2 blocks, 0.8 steals, and 1.7 three-point field goals made per game on .524/.400/.838 shooting.
In 2024-25, Towns has increased many of those numbers at 24.2 points, 13.4 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 1.0 steal, 0.7 blocks, and 2.0 three-point field goals made per contest.
Despite setting a memorable statistical pace for his career, the knock against Towns has been inconsistency in big spots. It's an admittedly exaggerated criticism, but there have been significant justifications for that line of thinking.
Over his past nine appearances, Towns has given the Knicks a front-row seat to the highs and lows of what the Timberwolves experienced over nine seasons.
Knicks beginning to witness Karl-Anthony Towns' inconsistency
The Knicks have gone 6-3 over Towns' past nine appearances, which makes it difficult to criticize him too severely. The issue, however, is how he seemed to apply himself during those games—both wins and losses alike.
For instance: Towns attempted 78 shots between wins over the Atlanta Hawks, Chicago Bulls, and Indiana Pacers, only to attempt a matching 78 in the other six games during that stretch.
During that time when Towns averaged 13.0 field goal attempts per game, the Knicks went 2-4. That would be easy enough to point out as flawed logic on his behalf as far as what he feels the game calls for, but the quality of the opponents he was quiet against magnifies the concern.
That includes the fact that Towns took just eight shots in 27 minutes during a 131-104 loss to the Boston Celtics on Feb. 8.
Towns turned things around with the aforementioned encounters with the Bulls, Hawks, and Pacers. Unfortunately, he was back to attempting just 15 shots during a 142-105 embarrassment at the hands of the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Towns redeemed himself with 24 points and 18 rebounds during a rematch with the Celtics, but his performances since have brought back that unsettling fear of indifference.
Knicks need Karl-Anthony Towns to be assertive
Towns attempted 11 shots during each of the Knicks' wins over the Memphis Grizzlies and Miami Heat. Perhaps the ends justified the means, but he went just 3-of-13 during a 113-109 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Mar. 6.
Towns' talent has never been in question, but if this is how he's going to approach games against high-level opponents, then the Knicks are in trouble.
Towns is an offensive force of nature when he applies himself, combining skill and size in a way few ever have. When he refuses to assert himself, however, the obvious truth prevails: Talent only matters when it's being utilized to one's advantage.
Unfortunately, this is an issue the Timberwolves were painfully familiar with—and one the Knicks must find a way to resolve.