New York Knicks big man Karl-Anthony Towns has spent the better part of his postseason career facing criticism for his passive tendencies. Despite his elite skill level and proven regular season production, Towns has been accused of shying away from imposing his scoring abilities on a playoff series.
While many have tried to convince Towns to become more aggressive, the Knicks have unleashed his potential by accepting his flaw and turning it into a strength.
Over the past five regular seasons, Towns has averaged 22.5 points and 15.5 field goal attempts per game. During that same time, Towns has averaged 19.8 points and 13.8 field goal attempts during the playoffs—in 0.6 more minutes per contest.
Those numbers highlight the frustrating reality of how Towns' uncanny ability to put points on the board hasn't exactly translated to raising his game as a scorer in a postseason setting.
The perhaps reasonable response has been to fight back against Towns' seemingly flawed mentality with calls for him to be more assertive. First-year Knicks head coach Mike Brown, however, has enlisted a different strategy by simply accepting who his star is.
Rather than trying to get Towns to be more assertive as a scorer, Brown has restructured the scoring hierarchy and leaned into the passive tendencies that permit the creation of a new role as a passer.
Knicks accept Karl-Anthony Towns' passive tendencies, create new role
Towns is averaging 11.6 field goal attempts per 36 minutes during the 2026 NBA Playoffs. That number is informed to some degree by the consistency with which the Knicks have blown opponents out, but it's a career-low by a wide margin nevertheless.
In place of asserting himself as a scorer, Towns has averaged 8.3 assists per 36 minutes this postseason—nearly tripling his previous playoff career-best mark of 2.9.
The results have been nothing short of spectacular. The Knicks' offense has been all but unpredictable, attacking from angles opposing teams simply can't figure out. Towns himself has benefited, as he's shooting at an unbelievable clip of .587/.483/.897.
The reality of how the Knicks have played, however, is that they've made Towns' scoring something of a complementary skill to the offense at large.
Karl-Anthony Towns is thriving as a passer as shot attempts plummet
Towns ranks third on the Knicks in scoring behind Jalen Brunson and OG Anunoby. His 11.6 field goal attempts per 36 minutes rank third amongst New York's starters, but clear Mikal Bridges in fourth by just 0.4. On the court and by the numbers, his scoring has become a piece of the puzzle rather than a skill the system prioritizes.
In turn, Towns' ability to make timely contributions as a scorer has become a strength that overshadows the lack of assertiveness that's long plagued him.
It's perhaps the greatest stroke of genius that coach Brown has managed in 2025-26. He's not asking an 11-year veteran to change something he's never managed to, but building his system to accommodate the strengths and weaknesses of the talent at his disposal.
The time may ultimately come when Towns needs to take over as a scorer, but through two rounds, the Knicks' shift in ideology has helped him produce his best individual postseason yet.
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