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What Holds Knicks' Karl-Anthony Towns Back?

Karl-Anthony Towns is on the verge of becoming a superstar for the New York Knicks.

Jeremy Brener

Nov 20, 2024; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) handles the ball during the fourth quarter against the Phoenix Suns at Footprint Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
Nov 20, 2024; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) handles the ball during the fourth quarter against the Phoenix Suns at Footprint Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images / Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
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The New York Knicks are building their team around Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns, and the team will need the latter to be as much of a co-star as opposed to supporting actor as he can be.

Towns has had the role of No. 1 option before and he's also played a secondary role. But Rob Mahoney of The Ringer believes that Towns holds himself back to be a true superstar in the league.

"Towns is liable to commit a terrible offensive foul or attempt to take over the game at exactly the wrong moment. He’ll also help dictate the action in ways that very few players can: shooting at a preposterous clip from outside, working over smaller players on the block, and filling the gaps with uncommon agility for his size. Those positives obviously outweigh the negatives, but with Towns, there’s always a catch—the sort that makes him more of a star than a superstar," Mahoney writes.

If Towns can find that nuance with the Knicks and be able to limit, or even eliminate, the mistakes that he makes, he could emerge as a true co-star next to Brunson.

Champions in the NBA nowadays usually need more than one person shining in the spotlight. Sure, Nikola Jokic is an exception with the Denver Nuggets, but Jamal Murray was able to make an impact. The same goes for Jrue Holiday, Derrick White and Jaylen Brown with the Celtics next to Jayson Tatum.

It takes a team to build a champion, and Towns was brought to the Knicks to help them get closer to that goal.

Towns and the Knicks are back in action tomorrow when they take on the struggling Utah Jazz at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City. Tipoff is set for 5 p.m. ET.

Make sure you bookmark Knicks on SI for the latest news, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns and so much more!

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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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