The New York Knicks are officially in the midst of the full Karl-Anthony Towns experience. It's begun to manifest in a polarizing pair of games, during which time he's revealed the strengths that have made him an All-Star and the weaknesses that infuriated fans of his former team.
Just as Minnesota Timberwolves fans warned the Knicks would happen, Towns' passive nature has come back to bite the orange blue in the playoffs.
Towns was excellent in Game 1 of the Knicks' first-round series against the Detroit Pistons. He posted 23 points, 11 rebounds, five assists, four steals, and two blocks, shooting 10-of-14 from the field and imposing his will on every phase of the game.
It was a performance that caused a burst of optimism to dominate conversations, with some regrettable takes forming after Game 1.
Unfortunately, Game 2 proved Towns' critics right for being reluctant to trust him. His postseason track record certainly supports that skepticism, as his production has decreased across the board from the regular season to the playoffs.
Game 2 against the Pistons was yet another example of the primary source of Towns' unreliable play during the postseason.
Karl-Anthony Towns displaying polarizing tendencies—again
Towns finished the Knicks' 100-94 loss to the Pistons in Game 2 having made a minimal impact on the outcome. He finished with 10 points, six rebounds, and one block, failing to record a single offensive board, assist, steal, or three-point field goal made.
In addition to posting an underwhelming stat line, Towns shot 5-of-11 from the field—bringing his total to 25 field goal attempts through two playoff games.
That's the primary issue with Towns' history as a postseason performer. No one can dispute his All-NBA talent, but the playoffs seem to bring out a trepidation in the big man that prevents him from making his usual impact on winning.
It shows in his numbers, as Towns' boasts a career regular-season average of 23.1 points per game on .524/.400/.837 shooting, but checks in at 19.0 on a slash line of .476/.350/.826 in the playoffs.
The Knicks have now seen the best of both worlds through just two games in the 2025 NBA Playoffs. The bigger concern, however, is that even Towns' otherwise brilliant performance in Game 1 included a well-documented reluctance to shoot.
Towns attempted just 14 shots in Game 1 and 11 in Game 2—after shooting fewer than 15 times in just three of his previous 17 regular-season showings.
If the Knicks are going to defeat the Pistons, let alone compete with the Boston Celtics in a potential second-round matchup, then Towns will need to rectify this issue. Inconsistency can be expected and understood from OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges, who are easing into larger roles, but Towns has been a franchise player for the better part of 10 years.
Just as Timberwolves fans warned the Knicks about, Towns is showing that inconsistency is a part of the package when it comes to featuring him on offense.