Why Knicks’ Karl-Anthony Towns deserves ‘a lot of credit’ for rising in playoffs

NEW YORK – Going into their first year as center and head coach of the New York Knicks, Karl-Anthony Towns and Mike Brown had practically no room for error. The regular season played out accordingly.

Every rough stretch from the All-Star big triggers Giannis Antetokounmpo trade discourse. Every growing pain the veteran coach experiences as he adjusts to his roster prompts debate regarding his predecessor.

It’s unrealistic to demand perfection. But when the expectation is an NBA Championship, nothing short of excellent has gotten the job done, historically. The culmination of a year’s worth of questions, concerns, and rumors? An underwhelming postseason start against the Atlanta Hawks, who took two of the first three games.

Towns’ uneventful fourth quarter in Game 2 (0-2 FG in seven minutes) was the center of plenty of discourse, and questions to Brown, after the Knicks’ loss. The big man’s role increased in Game 3, setting him up to deliver 21 points and 17 rebounds. It ultimately didn’t win New York the game.

Ahead of New York’s Game 5 victory at Madison Square Garden, Brown was asked what he’s made of Towns’ contributions over the course of the series thus far. The coach was laudatory of his star big’s play. But he also dropped hints at what he thinks is an area for improvement.

“It’s been pretty good, you know. You gotta give KAT a lot of credit, he’s trying to rebound, trying to be up in the pick-and-roll. When he switches onto a small, he’s trying to sit down. He just has to keep pushing himself, including transition, like all of us. So we can be impactful and/or effective on that end of the floor,” Brown explained.

While Towns’ scoring didn’t jump off of the page in Game 5, he played an integral role in getting the Knicks ahead 3-2 in the series. In 34 minutes, the center scored 16 points, pulled down 14 rebounds, and assisted on six scores. He logged two steals and two blocks, including one on Hawks star Jalen Johnson at the rim.

His coach praised his rebounding efforts after the game, referring to him and Anunoby both as “phenomenal” for their 22 combined defensive boards. The center has bought into the dirty work and keeps coming through when the Knicks need him most.

If New York can keep playing like this, winning just one of two games against the Hawks to advance to the second round doesn’t seem too far out of reach.

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