In his second season with the New York Knicks, Karl-Anthony Towns became a target for disgruntled fans who saw him struggling on offense and thought he could be a trade piece for Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Yet Towns eventually found his comfort zone in head coach Mike Brown’s offensive scheme, embracing more of a playmaking role, and the Knicks have become a juggernaut that is now four wins away from the franchise’s first NBA championship in more than 50 years.
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New York has embraced the basketball team it’s always loved, even when the Knicks didn’t reward that devotion. And the players are feeling that love, basking in the admiration of the nation’s largest city as Towns gushed to reporters on Monday.
“It’s been an honor to be a part of this team, be a part of this organization that’s bringing the word ‘hope’ back to the city,” Towns said. “To have the respect of the fans in the city, we are rich beyond belief here in the city.”
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That echoes the comments Towns made after the Knicks finished off the Cleveland Cavaliers to earn the team’s first trip to the NBA Finals since 1999. A New Jersey native, Towns said it was an “honor” to be part of this Knicks team that was bringing “hope” back to New York.
This season, Towns averaged 20.1 points and 11.9 rebounds per game, while shooting 37% on 307 3-point attempts. In the postseason, he’s scoring 16.9 points and grabbing 10.6 rebounds per game, while also dishing out 5.9 assists and shooting 49% on 3s.
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Those numbers were down slightly from Towns’ output last season. But he was still named an All-Star, and the Knicks have now advanced farther in the playoffs. That has quieted any talk of using Towns as a trade piece. The Knicks will also look smarter for it if they win an NBA title with their center playing a key role.
Teammate Landry Shamet also had big praise for Knicks fans, calling them “a specific species of human that should be studied.”
“They take over arenas. Everywhere you walk in the city, that’s what you hear,” he said after the playoff series win over the Cavs. “The buzz is unbelievable.”
