With Mike Brown now running the show on the sidelines, everyone seems to be gushing over how much better this New York Knicks offense looks when compared to last season.
From their uptick in points per game to their wildly improved long-range shooting, it's evident that after years of being held back by Tom Thibodeau's old-school philosophies, New York's offensive punch has finally entered the 21st Century.
However, perhaps lost in the hype over their newfound scoring success is the fact that they're still a productive bunch on the defensive end. More surprising is that it seems big man Karl-Anthony Towns has actually upped his play on this side of the floor as well.
Knicks star Karl-Anthony Towns has upped his game on defensive end
Though far from a defensive stopper, Towns finds himself amid an objectively improved campaign when it comes to his efforts on the less glamorous side of the ball.
Up from his debut season with the Knicks just a season ago are his numbers in many key statistical categories, such as opponent field goal percentage (46.3 from 47.9), opponent shooting percentage within five feet (62.9 from 66.0), and defensive rating (111.2 from 112.7).
With him on the floor, New York's point differential falls into the 90 percentile (+11.8), a clear improvement from last year's 85 percentile placement (+7.6).
Sure, this comes as a result of his always sound offensive production that has him averaging 22.1 points on 46.4 percent shooting from the floor and 35.5 percent shooting from deep, but also as a result of his clearly refined defensive prowess.
In fact, with his uptick in effort on defense, it should come as no coincidence that with Towns now serving as the club's full-time primary center, the Knicks are holding opponents to a mere 43.3 percent shooting from the floor and a sixth-best 60.9 percent shooting within five feet of the rim.
Again, to say Towns deserves to be known as a standout defender in the league may still be quite a stretch. With that being said, it's hard not to see that he has, in fact, taken strides forward on this end now during his second season in the Big Apple.
Though Thibodeau may have been more known for his defensive approach to the game, it appears that KAT is finding more success in this area of play with the likes of coach Brown now in tow.