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As return to Minnesota approaches, Karl-Anthony Towns is thriving with Knicks

KAT is doing a lot of the things he's always done, but now with a bigger audience.

Will Ragatz

Dec 3, 2024; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) controls the ball against Orlando Magic forward Tristan da Silva (23) during the third quarter at Madison Square Garden.
Dec 3, 2024; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) controls the ball against Orlando Magic forward Tristan da Silva (23) during the third quarter at Madison Square Garden. / Brad Penner-Imagn Images
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Karl-Anthony Towns had a couple flashy plays that made the rounds on social media during the Knicks' NBA Cup win over the Magic on Tuesday night.

In one of the clips, Towns banged into Orlando's Mo Wagner in the post and didn't get a foul call. After staring at the official for a second in the middle of the play, he spun off his right shoulder and drilled a fadeaway midrange shot.

In another, KAT went between his legs at the top of the key and rifled a left-handed, look-away pass to Mikal Bridges for a corner three. If the shot had gone down, it would've been a bigger highlight.

Towns finished with 23 points and 15 rebounds in a win that secured the Knicks' spot in the NBA Cup quarterfinals. Back at center after moving to power forward to play with Rudy Gobert, KAT is averaging 25.1 points and a career-high 13.1 rebounds this season while shooting over 45 percent from three. The Knicks have won eight of their last ten games to improve to 13-8 after a 5-6 start.

In two weeks, Towns will make his return to Minneapolis to play against the Timberwolves at Target Center on the 19th. That figures to be an emotional game for both him and the Wolves' fan base. In the meantime, he's thriving in his new home. Towns is doing a lot of the things that he did during his nine years and four All-Star seasons in Minnesota, but he's now doing them in front of a bigger audience in the country's largest media market.

It's obvious on social media that Knicks fans are loving KAT, who is off to a great start. One thing some Wolves fans have noticed is the shift in his perception now that he's playing for a historic, big-market franchise. The "soft" label that he couldn't seem to shake in Minnesota appears to be gone. He's scoring and rebounding and attempting (sometimes successfully) flashy passes like he always has, but the attention on his strong play is now greater than ever.

One thing that stands out about Towns' numbers is that his turnovers per game (2.3) are lower than they were in any of the last six seasons. But again, for the most part, he's just being the All-Star level center that he was for so many years with the Wolves.

Even with Towns off to a strong start and Julius Randle struggling defensively, it's still far too early to make any broad declarations about the late-September trade between New York and Minnesota. Donte DiVincenzo has been heating up lately for a Wolves team that has won two in a row to get to back to .500 after a brutal 2-7 stretch.

December 19 at Target Center is going to be a fun one.

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Will Ragatz
WILL RAGATZ

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