Knicks fans will love Shaq's Karl-Anthony Towns admission
Today at 09:43 PM
The New York Knicks may have pulled off one of the biggest trade heists in recent memory when they dealt Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo, as well as a heavily protected first-rounder, to the Minnesota Timberwolves in exchange for Karl-Anthony Towns. Towns has seen his numbers go down in recent seasons with the Timberwolves, and with Anthony Edwards seizing the mantle of the team’s number one option on offense, it was unlikely for Towns to get back to his dominant ways had he stayed in Minnesota.
With the Knicks, Towns is back to playing his more natural position at center, and he truly has returned to his form before he moved to power forward to accommodate the Timberwolves’ acquisition of Rudy Gobert. Entering the Knicks’ Tuesday night matchup against the Brooklyn Nets, the 29-year-old center is averaging 25.1 points, 13.8 rebounds, and 3.4 assists on 54/44/84 shooting splits — proving himself well worth the swing for the fences for New York.
Even Shaquille O’Neal, who is notoriously tough in the way he criticizes his fellow big men, has been well impressed with the way Towns has been playing for the Knicks.
“This year, I got nothing bad to say about the way he’s playing. He’s playing like a true big man. He’s playing excellent ball right now. I’m happy for KAT. I’m glad he’s playing well. I was a little worried about him coming into the year but he’s stepping up,” O’Neal said during TNT’s Halftime Show on Tuesday.
"Love the way he's playing the game. He's playing like a true big man"
Shaq gives Karl-Anthony Towns his flowers at the half pic.twitter.com/a8BL7kmjl8
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) January 22, 2025
Indeed, Towns has been flexing his muscle more often for the Knicks than he has for the Timberwolves over the past two seasons. Being the team’s center gives him plenty of space to operate from all three scoring levels, and this in turn has opened up his back to the basket and interior game — making him more than just a jumpshooter.
Karl-Anthony Towns has been everything the Knicks have hoped for and more
The Knicks may be one of the shallowest teams in the association in the aftermath of their offseason maneuverings, but when Karl-Anthony Towns and, to a lesser extent, Mikal Bridges have been playing as well as they have been, then that makes those gambits well worth the risk.
Towns has long been one of the best offensive big men in the association, but he has found a new lease in life on the Knicks. And there’s no surprise that the Madison Square Garden faithful have embraced him with open arms.
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