Karl-Anthony Towns had a tremendous first year in New York, making an All-NBA team while averaging 24.4 points and 12.8 rebounds per game. For him to take another leap, it may involve Mike Brown following the blueprint of how he utilized Domantas Sabonis in Sacramento.
Speaking on The Zach Lowe Show, Zach Lowe theorized that we could see Towns used more like Sabonis, as a way to give the Knicks' offense some variety and rely less heavily on Jalen Brunson to carry them at all times.
Mo Dakhil, who was a guest on the show, agreed with the idea, specifically adding how Towns could become even more impactful if the Knicks took advantage of him in handoff situations with plays such as Mikal Bridges and OG Anunoby.
Brown has a history of loving to turn his big men into playmaking hubs. That said, it is easier to do when your big men are Draymond Green (when Brown was an assistant with Golden State) and Sabonis, who are two of the best playmaking bigs in the history of the sport.
To be clear, Brown can't snap his fingers and turn Towns into an elite playmaker. Still, as Lowe and Dakhil stated, there are plenty of options for him to get more involved in two-man actions with other players, specifically in dribble handoff situations.
More dribble handoffs for Towns
Last season, according to league tracking data, Towns averaged 4.17 handoffs to Brunson per 100 possessions, resulting in approximately 1 point per direct handoff. That handoff volume ranked in the 32nd percentile among duos who had at least 75 total handoffs between themselves for the season.
Sabonis, on the other hand, ranked in the 75th percentile or higher in terms of handoff volume with a whopping four different teammates last season. It is an action that Brown loves to run, and one we will likely see more of this season with Towns. Perhaps more importantly, we should see more of it with players other than just Brunson.
Towns' handoff usage was much lower with the rest of the Knicks' supporting cast. He averaged just 1.7 handoffs per 100 possessions with Bridges, resulting in 0.86 points per direct, and 1.2 handoffs per 100 possessions with Anunoby, resulting in 0.79 points per direct. If Brown's goal is truly to get Brunson off of the ball more, Towns will have to be used more to set up others, which starts with the easy things like handoffs.