Karl-Anthony Towns Still Unsure About Role With Knicks

Sunday’s game showed exactly what Towns meant. Thunder guard Alex Caruso neutralized him in the first half, limiting him to just four points on one shot attempt in 22 minutes. Even with the Knicks trailing only 53-52 at the break, Towns had almost no offensive impact early. By the time he found rhythm in the fourth quarter, OKC’s depth and defensive discipline had already taken control.

The Thunder went 12 players deep compared to New York’s nine, sustaining defensive intensity for all 48 minutes. That contrast exposed the Knicks’ reliance on their stars to control the flow of the game. When Caruso took Towns out early, the offense lost its balance, highlighting exactly what Towns admitted postgame — he still does not have a consistent answer when the first option is taken away.

Towns is not the only one trying to figure it out. Three days earlier, in a 114-103 road loss to the Charlotte Hornets, head coach Mike Brown benched him in the fourth quarter in favor of Mitchell Robinson’s defense and rebounding while the game was still within reach. That decision sent a clear message — scoring slumps are manageable, but defensive lapses and inconsistency are not.

Brown also acknowledged his role in the adjustment process earlier this week. “I had to adjust to him as well,” he said after the Knicks’ 121-116 win over the Pelicans. Those tweaks led to a strong March stretch — six straight double-doubles and averages of 20.6 points and 12.9 rebounds — but consistency remains the missing piece.

Tracy McGrady Questions Karl-Anthony Towns’ Mentality

Towns has also faced outside criticism. Speaking on Schein Time, former NBA star Tracy McGrady questioned his approach.

“He’s just gotta have the want-to,” McGrady said. “If he takes that approach, that mentality, nobody can guard KAT.”

The point ties directly to games like Sunday, where Towns’ talent is undeniable, but his impact fluctuates depending on how aggressively he imposes himself early.

McGrady also widened the frame to the Knicks. “I think what’s wrong with the Knicks is they lost their identity,” he said, referencing last season’s defensive edge under former coach Tom Thibodeau. New York is 48-27, third in the East, and a legitimate contender; however, their last two losses have reintroduced the conversation that the March seven-game winning streak had been pushed into the background. Coach Brown simplified Towns’s role this month as he wants to pull him closer to his Minnesota version by getting him into his spots, simplifying the reads, and trusting his skill. Although that worked when they won seven games between March 11 and March 24, against Caruso and the Thunder’s defense, it did not hold.

This kind of adjustment is not new for star big men. Chris Bosh went through a similar transition when he joined the Miami Heat, shifting from a primary scorer in Toronto to a complementary role alongside LeBron James and Dwyane Wade. Early struggles led to questions about fit, but once Bosh embraced spacing, defense, and timing, the Heat unlocked their championship ceiling. Towns now finds himself at a similar crossroads — talent is not the question, clarity is.

While Jalen Brunson and Mikal Bridges can carry the team on certain nights, the Knicks’ ceiling changes entirely when Towns finds his answer. He knows it is there. The challenge now is making it consistent before the games start to count for real.