The Knicks walked into a scheduled loss on Tuesday night against the Minnesota Timberwolves, resting franchise cornerstone Jalen Brunson after riding him into the ground during the NBA Cup run. Without their primary playmaker, the 115–104 defeat was somewhat predictable, yet the box score tells a misleading story about the game’s actual flow.
Karl-Anthony Towns exploded for a massive stat line against his former team, dropping 40 points and grabbing 13 rebounds, looking every bit the offensive unicorn New York traded for. However, despite the gaudy numbers, Towns finished with a modest +6 and, more importantly, watched the decisive moments of the game from the bench after disqualifying himself with six personal fouls.
Mike Brown Is Not Impressed by Empty Calories
For a player of Towns‘ caliber, fouling out in a game where you are the primary option is an inexcusable lapse in discipline that arguably cost the Knicks a chance to steal a win.
Head coach Mike Brown did not mince words after the final buzzer, refusing to let the 40-point outburst mask the fundamental issue of availability. “KAT obviously can score…He just has to continue to try to not pick up cheap fouls…now we have to sit him when he needs to be on the floor,” Brown said, highlighting the frustration of managing a superstar who cannot stay on the court. “40 & 13, doesn’t surprise me at all…But if you’re gonna be a great player, we expect more from him. I’m sure he does too.”
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Karl-Anthony Towns is struggling to Find His Efficiency
This performance highlights a troubling trend for the 30-year-old big man, who has looked uncomfortable trying to adapt to Mike Brown’s proactive, movement-heavy system.
Through 27 games this season, Towns is averaging 22.3 points and 11.7 rebounds while playing 33.1 minutes a night, but his efficiency has plummeted well below his career standards. He is shooting just .477 from the field and a pedestrian .360 from downtown, numbers that suggest he is forcing offense rather than letting it come to him within the flow of the new scheme.
The disconnect is palpable, as Towns often finds himself out of position defensively or late on rotations, leading to the exact kind of “cheap fouls” that Brown is criticizing. While the Knicks fall short on the road in games like this, the bigger concern is whether their second-best player can fundamentally alter his habits to fit the new culture.
Availability Is the Best Ability
Ultimately, scoring 40 points means very little if you are not available to close out the game when the defense tightens up in the fourth quarter. Brown’s public jab at Towns is a calculated move to demand accountability from a veteran who should know better than to reach in or commit frustration fouls when his team is already shorthanded.
The Knicks need Towns to be a reliable pillar, not a volatile weapon that takes himself out of the fight. Until he cleans up the mental errors and adjusts to the defensive demands of this coaching staff, his statistical dominance will continue to feel like empty calories in losing efforts.