Playing in New York with the Knicks comes with plenty of pressure, but Karl-Anthony Towns wasn’t phased by any of it in his first season with the Knicks.
The former Kentucky product averaged 24.4 points, and 12.8 rebounds per game last season, shooting 52 percent from the floor, and 42 percent from three-point range.
Towns was named an All-Star and to the All-NBA Third Team for his efforts, he played a key role in the Knicks’ run to the Eastern Conference Finals, their first appearance in the Conference Finals since 2000.
Despite a successful first season in New York, some analysts and pundits feel that Towns still has more to prove. ESPN’s Kendrick Perkins said that Towns could be facing even more pressure next season given the team’s status as a championship contender.
“When you talk about players, which players are under the most pressure to deliver, that’s Karl-Anthony Towns,” Perkins said on NBA Today. “Like it’s time for him to deliver. It’s been a lot of criticism when it comes down to Luka Doncic and what he did defensively, and being in shape. Well, KAT falls in that category.”
“KAT is a walking bucket. He’s one of one. Arguably the best shooting big we’ve ever seen. He’s really, really skilled, but that’s not what he needs to correct. He needs to correct his ability to get up and down the floor, be able to slide those puppies, because he was getting cooked in the big role.”
Towns and the Knicks will look to build off of their success from last season as they try to maximize their new-found championship window. With Mike Brown now at the helm, expect Towns to be featured heavily offensively as the team will utilize his unique skillset to their advantage.
