Knicks Center Still Adjusting to New Role

Karl-Anthony Towns is still piecing things together for the New York Knicks.

Nov 10, 2024; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) reacts to an and one basket in the second half against the Indiana Pacers at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images / Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns is 10 games into his tenure with his new team, and things have been slow out of the gate.

The Knicks, who came into the season with expectations of being one of the best teams in the league, have only won half of their games to begin the year.

For Towns, who was traded at the end of September to the Knicks by the Minnesota Timberwolves, is slowly becoming more comfortable in his role. But his mindset compared to his days with the Timberwolves hasn't changed much.

“Getting a win. Really, that’s it. There ain’t no other thing to talk about. Put something in the left column. Be better versions of ourselves than we were last game," Towns said h/t Posting and Toasting. "Listen, all I’m worried about is finding a way for us to win a game. For us, we’ve got to figure out how to string wins together. We lose a game and then we have a decisive victory where we show the world what we can be when we’re locked in. We’ve just got to be locked in every night.”

The biggest change Towns has made to his game is moving back to the center position after playing two years at power forward next to Rudy Gobert.

“It’s an adjustment," Towns said about changing positions. "Got to adjust, all of us are trying to get more acclimated with each other. It’s a team game. Myself and all of us included we’ve just got to be a better defensive team. We’ve shown glimpses of what we can do, especially like the Milwaukee game, playing against a high-level team where we’re firing on all cylinders defensively. We’ve got to bottle up that kind of defensive intensity and execution and take it into every single game.”

It could take a while for Towns to get fully acclimated with his new surroundings. As long as the Knicks remain competitive, the team will likely be in the playoff hunt, so Towns has the entirety of the regular season to adjust before he needs to hit his stride in the postseason.

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