About five minutes into Tuesday’s win over the Orlando Magic, Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns set a pick for Jalen Brunson near the half-court logo.
As Magic defender Anthony Black followed the ball-handling Brunson, an uncovered Towns rolled to the basket, collected a bounce pass and soared to the basket for an easy one-handed dunk.
In the second quarter, Towns backed down Magic center Moritz Wagner, paused and shrugged toward an official after contact went uncalled, then turned around and made a 14-footer.
GOOD MORNING TO EVERYONE BUT A VERY SPECIAL ONE TO KARL ANTHONY TOWNS!
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— Big Knick Energy (@BigKnickEnergy_) December 4, 2024
And in the waning seconds of the third quarter, the 7-foot Towns drilled a 3-pointer that served as a dagger in the Knicks’ 121-106 win over Orlando and its NBA-best defense.
While ho-hum in isolation, those plays together served as a representation of how the uniquely gifted Towns has elevated the Knicks’ high-powered offense.
Towns entered Thursday’s tilt with the Charlotte Hornets at Madison Square Garden averaging 25.1 points on 52.8% shooting and an NBA-best 13.1 rebounds per game. It’s been a near-seamless transition for a player the Knicks acquired less than three weeks before the start of the regular season.
“It’s these guys in the locker room,” Towns, 29, said Tuesday when asked how he’s managed to fit in so quickly. “They’ve welcomed me with open arms, and they’re so great about helping me in the offense. I like to say ‘the Knicks way.’ [Brunson’s] been amazing. Josh [Hart], OG [Anunoby] have really helped me in this transition.”
The Knicks traded forward Julius Randle and guard Donte DiVincenzo to the Minnesota Timberwolves to acquire Towns, a four-time All-Star now in his 10th NBA season. The splashy blockbuster came during the same offseason the Knicks sent five first-round picks to Brooklyn for forward Mikal Bridges.
The addition of Towns, who hails from nearby New Jersey, gave the Knicks a floor-spacing stretch five whose versatile skill set has helped fuel one of the NBA’s highest-scoring and most-efficient offenses.
Entering Thursday, Towns had made 45.2% of his 3-pointers, which led the Knicks.
He scored at least 30 points seven times, and at least 40 points twice, through 20 games.
And he ranked near the top of the NBA by averaging 1.31 points per possession (PPP) as a pick-and-roll roll man, forming a dynamic duo with Brunson, who, at 1.10 PPP, was among the league’s best pick-and-roll ball handlers.
“Brunson and KAT are the number one pick-and-roll combination in the league,” Dallas Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd said last week before facing the Knicks. He added of Towns, “Just understanding his ability, if you’re late in any defensive schemes, he’s gonna shoot it, and most likely it’s going in.
Towns credits Brunson, the Knicks’ team captain, for their quick chemistry.
“It’s easy to do when you’re playing with Jalen Brunson,” Towns said. “He’s extremely smart. His IQ is off the charts. Obviously, all kinds of talent. Just playing off Cap and his game, the way he’s commanding the floor, it makes it easy to find where you fit into the offense.”
Towns spent his first nine NBA seasons with the Timberwolves. He played power forward in the final two to accommodate the arrival of fellow 7-footer Rudy Gobert, a shot-blocking center and a four-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year.
Towns has returned to playing center this season for the Knicks, leading a position group that remains without Mitchell Robinson (ankle) and that only got Precious Achiuwa back from a preseason hamstring injury on Thursday.
Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau, who was Towns’ head coach in Minnesota from 2016-19, believes the big man’s experience playing multiple positions helped him adapt quickly with New York.
“It probably would be harder for a rookie to do it, but I think the fact that he’s got 10 years in the league, and he understands the league,” Thibodeau said. “Our players have played against him before, so I think that helps facilitate it, and then his skill set. Because he can shoot, he can pass, he can put it on the floor, he can fit in with anybody.”