After playing the power forward position for a couple of seasons, questions surrounded Karl-Anthony Towns moving back to his natural position at center for the Knicks. Would he be able to defend and rebound to the level required by a Tom Thibodeau-coached team coming off being one of the scrappiest in the league?
While this Knicks defense has had more questionable than promising moments, one place Towns has more than thrived is on the boards. He’s averaging a whopping 13.6 rebounds a night — tied for first in the league — helping New York keep above average on the boards despite losing Isaiah Hartenstein in free agency and Mitchell Robinson to injury.
How real is Towns’ rebounding, and what does it mean for a Knicks team trying to nail down its identity?
On the defensive glass, Towns truly has been among the NBA’s elite this season. His defensive rebound rate is second in the league at 31 percent, and the Knicks grab 72.5 percent of opponent misses with him on the floor, 11 percentage points higher than him off and good for top five in the league.
These are career-high numbers for KAT, who was known as a voluminous rebounder during his early years at the five, but has taken his skill to the next level this season. It’s been a massive boon for the Knicks, who otherwise boast few strong rebounders — a problem that’s reared its head numerous times this early season.
But Towns has been the silver lining in that department, and the eye test matches his bodacious numbers. Besides the sporadic loss of focus, Towns puts his body on someone, leaps and reaches out to snare misses with two hands in a complete display of his physical tools.
Towns has been strong enough to physically compete with anybody in the painted area for position and loose balls, and his bounce and 7-foot-4 wingspan help him sky above most competing bigs. He does a strong job reeling in the ball to secure it once he gets his hands on it, and quickly turns to make the right outlet or find a streaking Knick down the court.
On the offensive glass, Towns has also been solid — around his career bests. However, his performance there hasn’t been among the league’s best, or comparable to the Knicks’ metal bats last season.
That’s not meant as a tough criticism, and it has more to do with Towns’ role offensively than his talent or physical ability. So long as he’s spacing this potent Knicks offense from beyond the arc, don’t expect New York to steal extra possessions on the boards like last year.
The Knicks don’t need to own that identity given their newfound ridiculous offensive efficiency, but any true contender will get stops when it matters and win the rebounding battle. Towns has been helping New York do the latter on the defensive glass, save for a few blemishes.
Half of the Knicks’ losses have come to top-10 offensive rebounding teams, including their two to Atlanta, plus Detroit and Utah. Lesser teams are getting a leg up on New York by attacking second-chance opportunities, and as dominant as Towns has been, he may need more help.
OG Anunoby has never been a formidable rebounder, but a defensive rebound rate equivalent to Bradley Beal or Damian Lillard is disappointing. Ditto for Mikal Bridges, currently boasting a career low in that department and resting among the bottom in the league.
Josh Hart has been a help and may need more minutes with the reserve unit for that reason. Precious Achiuwa returning to the lineup gives the Knicks more ammo, as well, and if Thibodeau experiments with him and Towns together, expect that lineup to dominate the glass.
These Knicks may still be figuring out who exactly they are, but the fundamentals are a good place to start, and Towns appears to have one on lock. New York would be wise to build on that strength, and not let the fruits of this ever more impressive Towns trade go to waste.
