Karl-Anthony Towns should be focal point for Knicks to win Eastern Conference Finals

It all occurred with Jalen Brunson mostly being on the bench due to foul trouble. However, it could be the shift the Knicks need for them to win the series, as Towns might be better suited to being the focal point for the team to make the NBA Finals. 

When you simply look at the points-per-game numbers while comparing Towns and Brunson for the entire season and even this series, you would automatically choose Brunson to be the primary scorer. When you look at the advanced numbers, though, Towns has been the more efficient scorer of the two. 

In the three games of this series, Towns is shooting 16 times a game, while Brunson is shooting just over 23 times. However, Towns has a better true shooting percentage and effective field goal percentage (68% and 61.5%) than Brunson (61.6% and 53.6%). Furthermore, Towns is shooting 45% from three-point range on seven attempts, while Brunson is shooting a staggering 30.4% from three on eight attempts. 

The plus/minus numbers look very similar between the two players, with Towns at -5 and Brunson at -10 for the series, but the numbers are a little misleading. 

Towns was a +9 in Game 1, while Brunson was a -8. Game 2 is the outlier. Brunson was a +4, but Towns was a -20. He struggled for the majority of that game, which caused Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau to bench Towns for the fourth quarter in a controversial move. However, Sunday saw Towns take charge of the comeback after that benching. He finished the game at +6, while Brunson was -6. 

The Knicks offense simply looks more potent with Towns at the center of it instead of Brunson.

Brunson has a 39.2 usage percentage in this series, while Towns is at 29.2%. To put that in perspective, Tyrese Haliburton is at 25.5% and Pascal Siakam is at 25.7%. The Pacers are balanced, while the Knicks can be the Brunson show at times. 

That was one of the reasons why the Knicks lost to the Pacers in the second round of the playoffs last season. Brunson was great, but his usage percentage was just as high at 36.4%. In that series, Siakam was at 25.7%, and Haliburton was at 25.5%. 

Towns showed Sunday that he could be the focus of the Knicks offense while also winning. Brunson does not have to be the guy in every series. This is the perfect time for the Knicks to hand over the reins to Towns if they want to make the NBA Finals.