It took a decent chunk of time — perhaps 15 games, in an attempt to quantify the stretch — for Karl-Anthony Towns to discover his purpose and play with confidence in a reworked Knicks offense under new head coach Mike Brown. But the veteran superstar finally found what he was looking for.
While the Knicks didn’t need Towns to assert much dominance in order to clinch a 12th straight win over the city-rival Nets on Monday night, he immediately commanded the spotlight and delivered welcomed efficiency. Not only did he score a game-high 37 points with 12 rebounds in their 113-100 win at Barclays Center, he shot 14-of-20 from the floor.
Towns didn’t rely on three-point attempts this time. Yes, he still took a few jumpers from beyond the arc, making three on four tries, but the big man’s attack plan sparked a breakout effort. He attacked the rim instead, asserting his dominance in the paint as the Knicks’ go-to weapon. He was an aggresor, not a settler.
“I’ve had slumps before, experience teaches me a lot. Keep shooting, keep trusting the work,” Towns said after the win. “I know it’s disappointing, especially for me who puts so much time in the gym and you’re not seeing the results every day you’d like at the standard you anticipate. But never change the grind.”
The Knicks fell just short of attempting 40 threes in Brooklyn — they were five off from the number Brown hopes the team averages this season — but high-octane offense can be displayed in different ways. And what the team received was Towns contributing in all spaces.
Of course, Towns exploited weaker competition. It shouldn’t matter to the Knicks, though. They’re allowed to be pleased this version of him showed up. They’re allowed to believe this performance returns and lifts the offense to an even higher level.
“He was really good. Again, trying to move him around quite a bit,” Brown said of Towns. “Tried to have him at the elbow, in the post, in the pick-and-roll game. You can see his comfort level is starting to get there… Great game by KAT, picking his sports to drive it, shoot it, spray it.”
Towns is averaging 21.7 points, 12.5 rebounds, and 3.4 rebounds with nearly one-fifth of the regular-season in the books. He’s still searching for that valuable groove from three, though — his shot percentage of 31.4 is currently a career-low.
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