Knicks Need More From Karl-Anthony Towns

Jordan Clarkson has been removed from the rotation, while Guerschon Yabusele played only two minutes against the 76ers. Ariel Hukporti was called on for four minutes in the second half because of Towns’s being in foul trouble.

Speaking of Towns, if New York is going to reach their potential with its currently constructed group, more is needed from the All-Star big man.

Recently, he has been performing at levels not seen since his rookie season. He has been struggling to adapt to Brown’s system, leading to erratic play on the court. But recently, he has been a detriment to the team's finding success.

Towns has not been making a positive impact in any fashion. Over his last six games, he has been putting the Knicks in tough spots because of his inability to stay on the court.

He is averaging 4.83 fouls per game over his last six. Foul-prone for much of his career, he would at least make up for it during his minutes. That hasn’t been the case recently, averaging only 4.33 assists, steals and blocks combined over that stretch.

Brown has been put in some brutal situations as a result. Sometimes, it has worked out, such as Hukporti offering a spurt of energy against Philadelphia when he had to be inserted while Robinson rested and Towns battled foul woes.

Knicks need to get Karl-Anthony Towns on track

New York took control of the game against the 76ers when Towns picked up his fourth foul with 10:24 remaining in the third quarter. The Knicks were trailing by three at that point, 68-65, but quickly flipped the script.

They would win the quarter 30-13, leading by as many as 18 points. While that spurt was impressive, it is concerning on some levels that New York has been playing at such a high level when one of their most important players heads to the bench.

That isn’t always going to happen. For example, when the Knicks didn’t have Jalen Brunson in the lineup because of injury, Towns was going to be relied upon heavily to carry the load offensively. Unfortunately, that isn’t possible when he is relegated to the bench in foul trouble.

New York has to figure out a way to get Towns to avoid costly fouls and integrate him into the game plan more effectively. Something isn’t clicking right now, and he is too important for the team to find success with him having such a small impact on the court.