Does Knicks’ addition of Towns help close the gap on Celtics? originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
Add another layer of intrigue to opening night.
The wheeling-and-dealing New York Knicks, maybe already the Boston Celtics’ biggest threat in the Eastern Conference, made yet another big-splash move Friday night, reportedly acquiring big man Karl-Anthony Towns from the Minnesota Timberwolves.
The Celtics host the Knicks in their season opener on October 22, the same night Boston will receive its 2023-24 championship rings and send Banner 18 to the rafters.
The Knicks, who finished second in the East behind Boston last season, now have made three big-swing moves in the past eight months. The Towns addition comes on the heels of a deal to acquire OG Anunoby last December, and a summer splurge to land former All-Defense First Teamer Mikal Bridges.
New York lost big man Isaiah Hartenstein in free agency over the summer and was bracing to start the season without rehabbing big man Mitchell Robinson. The addition of Towns adds much-needed size and leaves the Knicks with a talent-filled starting five.
The Knicks did send out Julius Randle, a three-time All-Star and two-time All-NBA player, but the team thrived at times last season without him and there were questions about his long-term fit. Towns, a four-time All-Star and two-time All-NBA player, provides additional size and skill.
The bigger loss for New York might actually be having to send out shooting guard Donte DiVincenzo, who shot 40.1 percent beyond the 3-point arc last season, a number that spiked to 42.5 percent on 8.2 3-pointers per game in the postseason.
The obvious question: Did the Knicks narrow the gap with the Celtics based on their slew of moves?
The Knicks can now trot out a starting five of Towns, Bridges, Anunoby, Josh Hart, and Jalen Brunson. Robinson will infuse needed depth when he’s healthy enough to return. With Bridges and Anunoby, the Knicks have the pieces to be an elite defense and mask some of the deficiencies of the star tandem of Towns and Brunson.
The Celtics still have an advantage in depth. At least to start the season, they’ll have the benefit of continuity and chemistry. The Knicks have to prove this new-look group can thrive together, particularly when the fit wasn’t always ideal when Randle was there.
But it sure feels like the Celtics and Knicks are the frontrunners in the East, though Philadelphia’s new-look core will be intriguing, too. After their opening night meeting, Boston and New York’s final three matchups don’t come until 2025. The Celtics visit Madison Square Garden on February 8 and April 8, while the Knicks make their other Boston visit with a Sunday matinee on February 23.
Ultimately, the gap question hinges on how the pieces fit together in New York. The Celtics found immediate success after their big-swing moves to add Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday last season. The Towns move feels a bit like the Holiday acquisition, with the late, pre-camp timing to solidify an area of need.
The Celtics should feel confident in their standing in the East, even if they’ll start the season with Porzingis sidelined. Boston’s depth has been an obvious differentiator and allowed it to withstand absences, including all the games that Porzingis missed last season. Boston is equipped to withstand absences in a way that a team like New York, on paper, is not.
How does Towns fit alongside Brunson and this new-look core in New York? Will everyone embrace less touches and diminished counting stats the way the Celtics’ stars did last season?
Opening night just got a lot more interesting. And it might be the first real step in answering how much the Knicks have narrowed the gap.
