Karl-Anthony Towns’ defense was called out after ECF loss

The New York Knicks failed to reach the NBA Finals. One of their biggest problems was their defense, in particular, Karl-Anthony Towns’ defense.

The Indiana Pacers ran wild on the Knicks defense. Indiana joined the 2019 Golden State Warriors with a historic offensive output of teams to average 115 or more points per game and 28 or more assists per game in the first three rounds of the playoffs.

The Knicks as a team certainly struggled defensively, but Towns, in particular, really had his problems. This was confirmed by The Athletic’s Fred Katz and James Edwards.

“Publicly, Knicks players made veiled comments all season about poor communication causing their inconsistencies,” Edwards and Katz wrote.

“Behind the scenes, they and coaches expressed frustration with Towns’ defensive habits — less concerned with his talent level and more with his process on that end.

“Too often, Towns executed incorrect coverages without communicating why he did it. After it became a theme, players worried Towns didn’t grasp the importance of the matter.”