Knicks Reveal Plan for Karl-Anthony Towns

Karl-Anthony Towns comes to the New York Knicks with a vision.

Jeremy Brener | Oct 16, 2024

Oct 13, 2024; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) fouls Minnesota Timberwolves center Naz Reid (11) during the second half at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images / Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

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New York Knicks

The New York Knicks are having to adjust on the fly as they acquired Karl-Anthony Towns in a trade with the Minnesota Timberwolves just days before the start of training camp.

Towns will have to get acclimated quickly with the Knicks as they can't waste too much time early in the regular season to try and chase a title.

Luckily for Towns and the Knicks, he has familiarity with head coach Tom Thibodeau, who shared with the media some of his expectations for Towns.

“We want him to be Karl. I don’t want to take away from any of the things that he does well. Play off your teammates, understand what they do well and put winning at the forefront," Thibodeau said h/t Posting and Toasting.

“As players get older, there’s a better understanding [that] you’re not doing this by yourself. You have to do it together. And I think he’s there now. Obviously a lot different than he was, as anyone would be five, six, seven years ago. I think he’s learned from all of his experiences.”

Towns helped lead the Timberwolves to the Western Conference Finals for the first time in 20 years last spring, and Thibodeau believes he will be able to rely on those experiences to help with the Knicks.

“For all players each year, they’re going to learn and they’re going to grow and their experience teaches them a lot," Thibodeau said. “He sacrificed a lot (in Minnesota). I think he understands the concept of winning. They had a great season last year and I thought he played at a very high level both offensively and defensively."

Sacrificing is an important part of being a big contributor for the Knicks this season, and if Towns is able to do that and focus on winning, he'll fit in well in New York.

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Published Oct 16, 2024

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.