Having been born and raised in New Jersey, Karl-Anthony Towns is happy to be closer to his family, and especially his grandmother, following his transfer to the Knicks.
Even within the team, he knows people, since Tom Thibodeau coached him for two and a half years at the Wolves.
“I think that gives us a bit of a head start” he explains about his pre-existing relationship with the coach, between 2016 and 2019. “I know the attack he likes to set up. I know the way he likes to play defense and what he expects from his players. »
In Minneapolis, the understanding between the coach and the interior was far from perfect, Karl-Anthony Towns having notably criticized (after his departure) the way in which the technician managed the young players, while Tom Thibodeau railed internally against the defensive attitude of his player.
'Hey, my name is Karl'
“He has gained experience” explains the coach today. “He's been to playoff series before and knows what it's like. As much as you try to prepare for something like this, until you experience it, you don't fully understand what it is. His understanding is so much more advanced now than his second year in the league. And its qualities are so unique that it adapts to everyone. »
For Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart, the shooting qualities of Karl-Anthony Towns will allow the Knicks to practice a very wide attack, which should open up the opposing racket for them.
Well, that's what they said yesterday because, in the previous days, as long as the exchange was not official, they were not allowed to talk about their new teammate. And the leader joked about the fact that he didn't know any Karl…
“The first thing I did was go up to Jalen and introduce myself. 'Hey, my name is Karl.' Because I know it was complicated for him” Karl-Anthony Towns laughs during his presentation conference.
| Karl-Anthony Towns | Percentage | Rebounds | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | MJ | Min | Shots | 3pts | L.F. | Off | Def | Early | Pd | Party | Int | Bp | Ct | Pts |
| 2015-16 | MIN | 82 | 32 | 54.3 | 34.1 | 81.1 | 2.8 | 7.7 | 10.4 | 2.0 | 3.0 | 0.7 | 2.2 | 1.7 | 18.3 |
| 2016-17 | MIN | 82 | 37 | 54.2 | 36.7 | 83.2 | 3.6 | 8.7 | 12.3 | 2.7 | 2.9 | 0.7 | 2.6 | 1.3 | 25.1 |
| 2017-18 | MIN | 82 | 36 | 54.5 | 42.1 | 85.8 | 2.9 | 9.4 | 12.3 | 2.4 | 3.5 | 0.8 | 1.9 | 1.4 | 21.3 |
| 2018-19 | MIN | 77 | 33 | 51.8 | 40.0 | 83.6 | 3.4 | 9.0 | 12.4 | 3.4 | 3.8 | 0.9 | 3.1 | 1.6 | 24.4 |
| 2019-20 | MIN | 35 | 34 | 50.8 | 41.2 | 79.6 | 2.7 | 8.1 | 10.8 | 4.4 | 3.3 | 0.9 | 3.1 | 1.2 | 26.5 |
| 2020-21 | MIN | 50 | 34 | 48.6 | 38.7 | 85.9 | 2.7 | 7.9 | 10.6 | 4.5 | 3.7 | 0.8 | 3.2 | 1.1 | 24.8 |
| 2021-22 | MIN | 74 | 34 | 52.9 | 41.0 | 82.2 | 2.6 | 7.2 | 9.8 | 3.6 | 3.6 | 1.0 | 3.1 | 1.1 | 24.6 |
| 2022-23 | MIN | 29 | 33 | 49.5 | 36.6 | 87.4 | 1.7 | 6.5 | 8.1 | 4.8 | 3.8 | 0.7 | 3.0 | 0.6 | 20.8 |
| 2023-24 | MIN | 62 | 33 | 50.4 | 41.6 | 87.3 | 1.5 | 6.8 | 8.3 | 3.1 | 3.3 | 0.7 | 2.9 | 0.7 | 21.8 |
| Total | 573 | 34 | 52.4 | 39.8 | 83.9 | 2.8 | 8.1 | 10.8 | 3.2 | 3.4 | 0.8 | 2.7 | 1.3 | 22.9 | |
How to read the stats? MJ = matches played; Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; Off = offensive rebound; Def=defensive rebound; Tot = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; Pts = Points.
