Karl-Anthony Towns starts new chapter of NBA career with Knicks

NEW YORK – Less than two hours before his unofficial Madison Square Garden debut as a member of the New York Knicks, Karl-Anthony Towns warmed up with assistant Mark Bryant, the team’s big man’s coach.
Bodega KAT gets some work with Knicks big man coach Mark Bryant before playing his 2nd game as a Knick. pic.twitter.com/HyfXzs3qWX
— alder almo (@alderalmo) October 9, 2024
But even after trying to loosen up his nerves, Towns played tight in the opening minutes of their 117-94 shellacking of the rebuilding Washington Wizards Wednesday night (Thursday Manila time) in a preseason game.
Towns missed his first seven shots. He did not score his first field goal until the 1:54 mark of the second quarter, bullying Alex Sarr, the No. 2 pick of this year’s NBA draft, for a driving hook shot.
The Knicks’ new center made seven of his final 13 attempts to finish with 25 points, 12 rebounds, two blocks, two assists and one steal to make his homecoming a sweet one.
Towns grew up a Knicks fan from Piscataway, New Jersey, just 37.7 miles from the Garden.
"It definitely hits different to be home,” Towns told MSG Network’s sideline reporter Alan Hahn after the game. “[It’s] Been a blessing to be here. I'm excited for all the games I get to play in front of these fans.”
Towns has already played half a dozen times at the world’s most famous arena since he was selected as the No. 1 pick by the Minnesota Timberwolves in 2015, but this game was his first time feeling the love from the home crowd.
After sinking his first field goal late in the second quarter, it was like the dam had been opened, and the water came out rushing.
Towns scored 16 points in the third quarter, and the Knicks led by as many as 27.
“He stayed with it,” Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said of Towns. He started off maybe pressing a little bit. First time here [as a Knick], you know. I like the looks that he got. Just be patient. At the end of the day, it's going to work itself out. And it did.”
Three of Towns’ four baskets during that third-quarter scoring frenzy came from a Jalen Brunson assist.
The Knicks’ new 1-2 punch was in sync, showing glimpses of the front office’s vision when they pulled off the blockbuster deal to acquire Towns in exchange for three-time NBA All-Star Julius Randle, sharpshooter Donte DiVincenzo and a heavily-protected first-round pick from Detroit.
Towns, a stretch and rim-running center rolled into one, provided plenty of space for Brunson to operate. The crafty playmaker repeatedly played off his big man and fed Towns every time he rolled to the basket or popped out.
“We work hard every single day to make sure it looks the best for these fans,” Towns said of his two-man game with Brunson. “We just want it to translate into winning, and we’re doing a great job doing that.”
Brunson, the Knicks All-Star point guard and team captain, added 23 points on 7-of-10 shooting and three assists without a single turnover in 24 minutes. Such efficiency made him a top-5 Most Valuable Player candidate last season.
The sky is the limit for Brunson and the Knicks with Towns in town.
“He's a very gifted scorer,” Thibodeau said of Towns. “He can score a lot of different ways. He can score a three-point line. He can score off the bounce. He can score back to the basket. So, [when] one area is not going, go to another and then go to the playmaking. I think that opens up the floor for everybody.”
Towns and Brunson’s gravity, coupled with the defensive chops of Mikal Bridges and OG Anunoby, has what propelled the Knicks to the dominant win — a promising showing for the new-look Knicks.
Even when their outside shots were not falling — hitting only 25.6% from the 3-point range — the Knicks still dominated the Wizards by hanging their hat on defense.
They logged 16 steals and 5 blocks, forcing the Wizards to 30 turnovers, the most by any Knicks opponent since 1989.
Bridges had 16 points and 3 steals. Anunoby added 5 points and 2 steals.
“Well, no one's going to shoot the ball great for 82 games, and you got to win games a lot of different ways,” Thibodeau said. “And ideally, you want to be strong on both sides of the ball. That was one of the strengths of our team last year. We were top 10 in offense and top 10 in defense. To win in the playoffs, that's what you have to be.”
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Alder Almo is a former senior sportswriter for Philstar.com and NBA.com Philippines. He is now based in Jersey City, New Jersey, and writes for the New York-based website Heavy.com.
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