Karl-Anthony Towns is preparing for his second season with the New York Knicks, and expectations are high.
After a strong debut year under Mike Brown, Towns averaged 24.4 points, 12.8 rebounds and 3.1 assists across 72 games, shooting 52.6 percent from the floor and 42 percent from beyond the arc.
But questions about his conditioning and defensive consistency continue to follow him into the new season.
Former NBA champion Kendrick Perkins believes that pressure is squarely on Towns to prove he can carry a contender. On a recent episode of ESPN’s NBA Today, Perkins laid it out bluntly.
“When you talk about players, which players are under the most pressure to deliver, that’s Karl-Anthony Towns,” Perkins said. “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.”
He continued, “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.”
Despite the critiques, Towns has proven to be one of the most gifted offensive bigs in basketball.
His shooting touch and scoring versatility have fit seamlessly next to Jalen Brunson. Still, his limitations on defense remain under the microscope, especially when asked to anchor a single-big lineup.
The Knicks may look to ease that burden by pairing him with Mitchell Robinson. In 140 non-garbage time possessions with Towns at power forward, New York outscored opponents by 19 points per 100 possessions. The sample is small, but the potential is there.
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