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Knicks Center Still Adjusting to New Role

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

Jeremy Brener

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
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
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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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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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