Karl-Anthony Towns' Defense Reportedly Caused Frustration for Knicks Players, Coaches

Players and coaches from the New York Knicks weren't thrilled with Karl-Anthony Towns' "defensive habits" across the 2024-25 NBA season, according to The Athletic's James L. Edwards III and Fred Katz.

"Too often, Towns executed incorrect coverages without communicating why he did it," Edwards and Katz said. "After it became a theme, players worried Towns didn't grasp the importance of the matter.

"The ability to constructively critique became a point of emphasis."

The Knicks knew what they were getting when they acquired the five-time All-Star. Towns is one of the best shooting big men of all time, but his defense has long left something to be desired.

Unfortunately for New York, he played down to his reputation against the Pacers. His defending — or lack thereof — was among the talking points as the Knicks gave up 125 points in Game 6.

The worrying thing for the franchise is that the series wasn't an isolated incident. Edwards and Katz wrote how opposing teams found vulnerabilities in New York's defense when Towns and star guard Jalen Brunson were on the floor.

"On bad nights, the two All-Stars, Brunson and Towns, exacerbated each other's worst defensive traits and didn't enhance each other enough on offense, regressing as a duo during the second half of the season and into the playoffs," the NBA insiders wrote. "That was highlighted in the Eastern Conference finals, when Brunson assisted on just five Towns baskets. The Pacers, especially, targeted Brunson and Towns throughout the series, bringing whomever those two were manning into actions and attacking from there."

It would be quite an about-face from New York if it were to trade Towns only one season after his blockbuster move from the Minnesota Timberwolves. His market might be a little limited, too, when he has three more years left on his $220.4 million contract.

Landing KAT and Mikal Bridges last summer was team president Leon Rose's big roll of the dice. The Knicks don't have a lot of valuable trade assets to move.

Improving the roster around the margins will likely be the task ahead for Rose. Part of that will be identifying ways to mitigate Towns' negative impact on defense.