Karl-Anthony Towns drives to the rim, gets hit across the arm, over the head, or in the back.
His teammates and coaches brace for the whistle — after all, by the letter of the NBA rulebook, these are fouls.
But no whistle comes. Towns, increasingly frustrated with each no-call, plays on.
On the other end of the floor, the standard is reversed. Marginal contact becomes an automatic foul against the Knicks’ starting center.
The Knicks will tipoff against the OKC Thunder shortly, which means Karl-Anthony Towns will be called for fouls on one end, but ignored when hacked on the other.
How do I know this? Because it happens every game. The double standard must stop.
Column: https://t.co/AHO6njG3U8 pic.twitter.com/XPoASsn7U6
— Kristian Winfield (@Krisplashed) January 11, 2025
The frustration reaches a tipping point. How is it a foul on one end and not the other?
Entering Friday’s matchup against the Oklahoma City Thunder, Towns led the NBA with 125 personal fouls called against him. Yet, it’s hard to find a player who feels more aggrieved by the lack of calls in his favor when he gets hacked at the rim.
This imbalance has been a constant since Towns joined the Knicks in the blockbuster trade that sent Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo to the Minnesota Timberwolves. And for a perennial All-Star, the discrepancy is glaring. He’s punished on one end and ignored on the other. It’s time something changes.
“I don’t know. That’s for y’all to highlight and draw attention to,” Josh Hart told the Daily News. “I feel like sometimes he does get fould. JB gets fouled, too. But at the end of the day, we’ve gotta make sure we shut up and let the refs ref and let them do their jobs and continue to hoop. That’s for y’all to draw attention to, and hopefully maybe something will change.”
Sure, Towns could be more disciplined defensively. His hand placement when contesting shots in the paint has room for improvement. But it’s laughable that the same tick-tack contact that earns fouls against him doesn’t translate into calls when he’s on offense.
Publicly criticizing officials carries hefty fines — up to $100,000 for players and coaches. Still, the frustration is palpable.
“I don’t know what to tell you,” Towns told The News.
“There are answers to your questions,” added Jalen Brunson, smiling as he declined to elaborate.
Towns leads all 7-footers in drives to the rim. Yet, he averages just 2.4 free throw attempts off drives per game. For a player who absorbs significant contact on every drive, that number doesn’t add up.
“Like attacking the rim, and there’s a straight line drive, and there’s force, and he’s getting hit. I think that’s what you’re saying, right?” Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau responded when asked about the lack of calls. “I would agree.”
At seven feet tall and 248 pounds, Towns is often the largest player on the court. Perhaps officials believe his size allows him to absorb contact more easily. Maybe that’s why no true center averages more than 2.5 free throw attempts off drives per game.
“I don’t know — you’ve gotta ask the refs that one,” Hart said.
The lack of calls is undeniable. Officials seem hyper-focused on Towns defensively but turn a blind eye when he attacks the rim.
And like Towns himself said: “I don’t know what to tell you.”
Maybe the officials have a better answer.