The Knicks may still be fighting their way through a mixed start to the season, but a few facets of their game have been major positives to build on in the coming weeks and months. Perhaps none have kept New York in the win column more than Karl-Anthony Towns’ dominant offense.
The Knicks acquired Towns with hopes that his shooting ability and dynamism from the five paired with Jalen Brunson could unlock an offense that befuddles the league, while the defense would hold up enough to make them a true contender. While the latter is still very much in question, even the trades most ardent supporters might have understated what kind of scoring punch Towns would bring.
In 11 games, Towns is averaging 26.5 points, 12.2 rebounds and 2.7 assists on 54.7 percent from two and 50.8 percent from three. Nearly half his games have been a 30-or-40+ point performance, the Knicks are third in the league in offensive efficiency, and it’s happened before all parties have fully clicked.
Let’s take a deep dive into Towns’ offensive impact to see just how high his and the Knicks’ ceiling goes.
Towns is one of the greatest shooting big men of all time, and that moniker has proven itself with his early play. His three-point percentage makes him one of five players converting at that level of accuracy (among players with 30+ attempts on the year), and the only center doing it not named Nikola Jokic.
Virtually all of his attempts have been catch-and-shoots from above the break but with varying degrees of difficulty. He’s shown no resistance to pulling from a few steps behind the arc or with a defender in his space – most have trouble getting out to contest.
Outside of the remarkable efficiency, Towns’ shooting has been fundamental to opening up attacking lanes for his teammates. OG Anunoby is on his way to a career year thanks to his ability to aggressively drive without having to worry as much about help.
Mikal Bridges’ effective field goal percentage jumps from 45.9 percent to 59.4 percent when Towns is on the floor compared to off. Brunson is taking advantage with his highest output at the rim in years.
Not only does Towns’ spacing benefit his teammates, but gives him leverage on his own drives. Opposing players are so worried about his jumper, he gets a step on his strong dribble attacks to the rim, which he’s taken advantage of fruitfully.
Towns averages 7.6 drives a game as a Knick – second most on the team – shooting a career-high 61.4 percent from the field on those drives. He’s also done a solid job of drawing fouls on these takes.
New York is still figuring out when to best utilize him in the post. Constantly feeding him against mismatches stagnated the offense into some trouble at points, but he’s shown effective touch isolating down low.
Where the Knicks are only beginning to get ridiculous value out of Towns is as a passer. They’re running more sets for him as a distributing hub in the high post or above the break, and it’s paying dividends.
Towns is a sneaky gifted passer and has already put that talent on display with three games of five assists or more in a Knicks uniform. Expect these to increase as the season progresses and with it his assist numbers.
This is perhaps the most stunning part of Towns’ offensive impact: it hasn’t fully been realized yet. The Knicks have been experimenting with their new roster all season, and the kinks are clearly still being worked out, yet they’re scoring a monstrous 121.2 points per 100 possessions with Towns on the court.
That would put them second in the league, ahead of the Boston Celtics, despite the team chemistry being a work in progress and Brunson’s up-and-down start to the year. Once this team and Towns figure it all out, nothing should keep them from leading the league in efficiency.
New York will need to pick up the pace and trim down the turnovers to fully maximize their offensive potential, but they have the pieces to do it. Towns has already proven himself a generational offensive talent, the real question is can the Knicks leverage that to win a championship?
