With the departure ofIsaiah Hartenstein at the Thunder, and the physical problems of Mitchell Robinsonthe Knicks were preparing to start the season weakened under the circle. In front of the press, Tom Thibodeau assured that Julius Randle would be able to compensate by shifting as a pivot, but internally, there were big concerns…
Hence the arrival of Karl-Anthony Towns and his 2m13 in place of Julius Randle and his 2m03.
“They are different players in some ways, but similar in others” answers Tom Thibodeau on both interiors. “Julius is more of a strong winger, an incredible player. But when you look at what he does, the scoring, the passing, the rebounding, it's mostly as a power forward. »
For the technician, the Knicks needed a “real” pivot to be able to be competitive.
Size matters
“We had a huge need, obviously, with the injury to Mitchell Robinson and the loss of Isaiah in free agency. We needed a pivot. That was a very important element, the pivot position… And when you look at Karl, his versatility and his size is very important to us. »
Karl-Anthony Towns may not be the first name that comes to mind when you think of a circle protector, but he had progressed in this role, notably in 2021/22, before the arrival of Rudy Gobert.
“It’s just about accepting to be the quarterback and the anchor of the defense”explains the person concerned. “We have extraordinary exteriors, as everyone knows, with OG [Anunoby]Mikal [Bridges],Josh [Hart] and Jalen [Brunson] who do a great job of putting pressure on ball carriers. »
In any case, at 28 years old, he assures that he is no longer this player, naive defensively, against whom Tom Thibodeau was quite annoyed during their seasons together at the Wolves, between 2016 and 2019.
“I'm a different player than I was when I first played for Thibs. We're both adjusting to each other, but we have a solid foundation.” concludes KAT.
| 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.
