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Karl-Anthony Towns Lifts Knicks in Power Rankings

The New York Knicks are thriving with Karl-Anthony Towns.

Jeremy Brener

Dec 19, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; New York Knicks forward Karl-Anthony Towns (32) works around Minnesota Timberwolves forward Julius Randle (30) in the third quarter at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images
Dec 19, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; New York Knicks forward Karl-Anthony Towns (32) works around Minnesota Timberwolves forward Julius Randle (30) in the third quarter at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images / Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images
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Karl-Anthony Towns is a big reason behind the New York Knicks recent success, and people are beginning to take note of his achievements.

Perhaps the biggest sign towards his improvement came in Thursday's win against his former Minnesota Timberwolves team where he made them regret trading him in the first place.

Towns' play as of late has propelled the Knicks to move up one spot in Bleacher Report writer Andy Bailey's latest power rankings.

"Karl-Anthony Towns completely dominated his revenge game against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Thursday, going for 32 points, 20 rebounds and six assists in a 26-point road win," Bailey writes.

"The four-time All-Star went 5-of-5 from deep, offering a vivid reminder of the kind of spacing Minnesota enjoyed when he was a Timberwolf. And even before this performance, it was pretty clear he was on his way to a special campaign.

"Towns is averaging 25.0 points, a league-leading 14.2 rebounds and 3.4 assists, while shooting 46.1 percent from deep."

The only teams to rank higher than the Knicks were the Dallas Mavericks, Memphis Grizzlies, Oklahoma City Thunder, Boston Celtics and Cleveland Cavaliers.

The Knicks acquired Towns for this very reason, to compete among the best teams in the NBA. While the Knicks were a No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference a year ago, Towns raises their ceiling tenfold and makes New York a much likelier contender and threat in the league.

The Knicks are still figuring things out, but as long as Towns is playing at the level he currently is at, New York will continue to hover around the top spot in the power rankings and standings all season long.

Towns and the Knicks return to the court tonight against the New Orleans Pelicans. Tipoff is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET.

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Jeremy Brener
JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.

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