After making a successful deal to get Karl-Anthony Towns of the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Knicks are all in championship. But doing such a big business increases the pressure.
There is some pressure on Towns to fit in. There is also pressure on the front office to make the business work. Surely, much of the pressure will fall on the Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau to make everything work. It will be the most important test the coach has faced since signing with the club in 2020.
After leading the Knicks to two playoff series victories and a 175–143 record after four seasons, Thibodeau signed a three-year contract extension that will keep him with the Knicks through the 2027-28 season. Thibodeau took the Knicks to the greatest success that the franchise experienced in the last two decades.
In the past four years, the Knicks have grown from happy to make the playoffs to a contender. With contender status comes expectations. New York’s moves to acquire Cities and Mikal Bridges put attention on the club. The Knicks probably enter the season with the highest expectations for the franchise since the turn of the century.
Adding Towns is a huge talent upgrade for the Knicks, but it also takes Thibodeau out of his comfort zone as a coach. During his four-year tenure, Thibodeau succeeded with a low-usage center that focused on offensive rebounding and rim protection. Since the 2020-21 season, no Knicks starting center has averaged more than 8.5 points.
With a career average of 22.9 points in nine years, Towns is completely different. He is an elite scoring center who wreaks havoc on opposing defenses on the outside and inside. Thibodeau is tasked with finding ways to utilize Towns in the best possible role and making the pick and roll partnership between the big man and Jalen Brunson buzzing
Adjustment to new staff
Towns’ ability to space the floor as a three-point shooter is great for the offense but could have an impact on the team’s ability to dominate on the offensive glass. The Knicks have been one of the top offensive rebounding teams in the NBA for the past four years. The team finished first in second-chance points per 100 possessions in both the regular season and playoffs, per NBA Stats. Teams typically don’t dominate the offensive glass when their seven-foot center spots up from deep.
Offensive caroms and a low turnover rate helped the club achieve a top-10 ranking in offensive efficiency despite being a sub-par shooting efficiency team. New York finished 20th in true shooting percentage last year.
Before switching to a power forward role in Minnesota with Rudy GobertCities was an adequate offensive rebounder in his time as a center. But he is nowhere near the level of a Mitchell Robinson or Isaiah Hartenstein. New York’s perimeter shooting and spacing on the floor should be better after adding Towns, but where the team ranks on the offensive glass will be a statistic to monitor all season.
On defense, Towns isn’t a sieve but he’s also not the formidable physical presence that Thibodeau-era Knicks teams kept on the roster like Robinson, Hartenstein and Nerlens Noel. Not having a traditional rim protector on the floor could force Thibodeau to get creative.
New York used one of the more traditional defensive strategies in the NBA, but maybe they change more actions on defense. With Bridges, AND Anunoby and Josh Hartthe Knicks have a deep collection of wings capable of guarding several positions.
In general, the Knicks went almost all in this team. Remaining from the previous transfer of assets is a heavily protected Washington Wizards first-round draft pick and several second-round picks. New York has also significantly increased its payroll. With a high-priced team, comes even more expectations.
Thibodeau did not face that level of pressure with this club. His rotation decisions and in-game adjustments will be under a microscope. The conversations about him running players into the ground will only intensify, especially if injuries crop up.
Pressure can turn rocks into diamonds. For the Knicks, the hope is that they don’t succumb to the pressure and those diamonds end up on a championship ring.
