Oct 31, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; New York Knicks head coach Mike Brown talks to center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) during the first half of an NBA game against the Chicago Bulls at United Center. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

Mike Brown Sees Knicks, Karl-Anthony Towns Problems

Originally posted on New York Knicks on SI
By Henry Brown | Last updated Jan 19, 2026 12:05 PM ET

The New York Knicks are mired in as deep of a regular season pit as they've seen in years, and all eyes are falling to Head Coach Mike Brown in evaluating how the first-year Knicks leader angles to right the ship.

They've won just two of their last 10 games behind some of the NBA's worst defensive, shooting efficiency and hustle statistics, each signs of a team stuck in a slump. They used to simply outscore opponents to make up for a relatively-thrown together team defense, but the shots have only continued to dry up with Jalen Brunson's brief departure from the lineup.

Brown previously clarified his insistence that his Knicks avoid punching the panic button, insisting that his guys are still far away from "overhauling everything." One of his star players has repeatedly tested his patience all throughout this ugly January, though, and he caught more strays following New York's recent loss to the Phoenix Suns.

When asked about how Karl-Anthony Towns held up in keeping the ball moving from the post, Brown went in on his All-Star's struggles.

"We talked about that at halftime. We said when you catch it down there, they’re coming so you may have to spray quickly. And I think he tried a couple of times – they got their hands on the ball and we ended up turning it over. But we knew they were coming and I thought our spacing was good. We just didn’t get the ball out to the right guys in a timely manner."

Mike Brown was asked after PHX loss about NYK spacing/off-ball movement when Suns converged on Karl-Anthony Towns in the post: “We talked about that at haltime. We said when you catch it down there, they’re coming so you may have to spray quickly. And I think he tried a couple of…
— Ian Begley (@IanBegley) January 18, 2026

Towns' Struggles in Brown's System

Towns, still attempting to break free of one of his worst statistical scoring seasons, has been open about his slow transition into Brown's scheme.

The coach, having already led three other franchises as a head coach over his decorated past, is insistent that his key players know where to keep the ball moving on offense. That understanding of which angles to warp the floor with helped Mikal Bridges jump out to his own hot start.

New York Knicks Guard Mikal Bridges and Center Karl-Anthony Towns Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Towns conversely, hasn't been quick at reading the floor. He's still averaging his double-double over the 10-game span in question, but his 3/3.1 assist to turnover ratio is untenable, especially as the Knicks wait for their point guard to return to action.

Add this complaint to the string of issues that Brown's aired out over the last month. From calling Towns out for spending too much time complaining to officials to his frustration at the center's lack of focus, the relationship between the two is only attracting more attention as the pre-trade deadline Knicks continue to drop winnable games.

This article first appeared on New York Knicks on SI and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: