When the New York Knicks acquired Karl-Anthony Towns in exchange for Donte DiVincenzo and Julius Randle, no one had any idea how much it would lift their offense to absurd new heights. Towns was a better fit than Randle, sure, but he had his share of flaws in Minnesota, too. The improved spacing for Jalen Brunson to work was a given, but making New York a top-three offense has been a welcome surprise. However, the gutting of the depth the Knicks prided themselves on was an unintended consequence. Knicks now can’t afford absences from Karl-Anthony Towns because of their lack of quality role players.
Knicks Can’t Afford Karl-Anthony Towns Absences
Tom Thibodeau’s group has had an excellent first half, sitting at 25-13 after a blowout win over Toronto. Nonetheless, it’s well documented that this team has flaws, with lack of depth being the most pressing. Other issues, like their defensive weaknesses, could cost them come playoff time, but New York needs to address the starters’ overuse as soon as humanly possible. Relying on five players for abnormal minutes will wear them down over an 82-game gauntlet, and could be damaging come the postseason.
New York is at the point where they simply cannot have KAT missing games, however, for reasons that go beyond the fatigue of their best players.
KAT Completely Changes Their Spacing
Towns’ value comes from much more than his 25.3 points and 14 rebounds per game. He gives the Knicks a unique weapon at the five, being one of the most accurate big man shooters in NBA history. Towns’ career three-point shooting sits at 40.1%, and he is hitting at 45% from the outside this season. Sure, he benefits from the best offensive situation in his career, but the team needs him just as much.
Having KAT on the floor allows the Knicks to run a true five-out offense predicated on ball/player movement. This is a farcry from their Brunson/Randle isolation attack of past years. Their old offense was effective, but put an outsized burden on Brunson’s shot-creation ability, and gave him little space to work with.
His presence gives Brunson his ideal pick-and-roll partner. Towns is obviously an excellent shooter, but is also an extremely underrated driver to the rim, which has shown up more in New York than ever before. Towns is converting pick-and-roll opportunities at 1.35 points per possession, which ties him for first with Nikola Jokic. Pretty good, eh?
His Replacements Are Hurting The Knicks
When Towns misses a game or sits down in-game, his replacement options have been Jericho Sims and Precious Achiuwa. Knicks fans are clamoring constantly for rookie Ariel Hukporti to get some run, but Thibodeau appears unwilling to do so despite exciting flashes from the youngster. Mitchell Robinson will return from injury at some unknown time, but for now, Sims and Achiuwa are the options barring a trade.
Both Sims and Achiuwa are solid defensive players, with Sims excelling in rim protection and Achiuwa as a versatile, switchable defender. Achiuwa has some offensive skill in his game, but is inconsistent at best. Sims offers little to nothing on that end, with clumsy footwork and poor touch around the rim.
Both guys destroy the Knicks dominant offense when they are on the floor. Sims takes away any pick-and-roll options for New York while also allowing defenses to sag off him, essentially forcing the Knicks to play four-on-five offense. Achiuwa is much better, but still gives opponents a much better chance of guarding New York. He also fills bench minutes for other players, not just Towns.
Too Much Pressure On Brunson
One idea behind trading several depth pieces for OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges was to allow them to takeover offensively when Brunson (or Towns) were off the floor. Unfortunately, while both have flourished in the Knicks system, neither has shown that they can consistently take over games. This has resulted in some ugly losses this season.
Anytime KAT misses a game, Brunson is expected to carry an offensive workload reminiscent of last year’s playoffs. His run was incredible to watch, but clearly not sustainable for himself or the team. Leon Rose chose to construct a top-heavy roster with questionable reserves, which puts the Knicks in this dilemma. At some point, either Robinson must get healthy or Rose has to make a trade to bolster their depth.
For now, the Knicks simply can’t afford absences from their star center.
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