New York Knicks All-Star Karl-Anthony Towns is determined to be more than that for his team this season.
Knicks: Karl-Anthony Towns is having himself a season
Towns leads the NBA with 13.9 rebounds per game. His 22 double-doubles trails only Sacramento Kings star Domantas Sabonis for the most in the league.
The two-time All-NBA Third Team honoree looks even better than he did last season with the Minnesota Timberwolves. He’s been virtually impossible to stop when driving to the rim. Towns has effectively thrown his weight around in the paint for easy finishes. The Kentucky product has also been a masterful passer of the basketball, all while showing bravado when shooting from long range.
Towns desires to play like a superstar center for the Knicks
Per Antonio Losada of Posting and Toasting, Towns had this to say about his goals ahead of his first matchup against his former team in the T-Wolves:
“I got more I could give and do and play better. I just want to be a superstar in my role, whatever that role may be for our team, and actually be the five here. And I just want to be the best I could,” Towns said.
That should be music to his teammates and head coach Tom Thibodeau’s ears. Considering the former 2015 No. 1 overall pick’s impact throughout all four quarters of contests and his clutch factor on the campaign, whatever levels he has yet to reach could see him ascend from his current standing in the MVP conversation.
Knicks’ Tom Thibodeau lauds growth Towns has shown
Per Losada, coach Thibodeau expressed his appreciation for all that the New Jersey native has brought to the ball club in his debut season on Broadway. He said this about Towns’ growth in their second stint together as well as how much he’s grown as an offensive star (h/t Jeremy Brener of New York Knicks on SI):
“I think experience is a great teacher. I think that he’s been through a lot of different things. I think he’s learned a lot. He’s a lot stronger now than he was then. He’s always had great touch. He’s always had really good instincts. But I think being in big games and that sort of thing and adapting to different teammates, you learn from your teammates,” Thibodeau said of Towns’ maturation.
“Whether playing five-out, away from the basket, you can play him back to the basket, put it on the floor. I’d say he’s probably a better passer now than he was then. He sees things a lot earlier. I think the double-team he’s more comfortable with,” Thibodeau also said regarding Towns’ repertoire.
The Knicks as a unit are clicking at the right time after going through a challenging learning curve with their star-studded starting five to start the regular season. Now that their troops are more acclimated to their roles, Towns will only have more to work with as he aims to lead New York to a championship next spring.