By james art Karl-Anthony Towns is off to a quiet start to his tenure with the New York Knicks. So far, he has scored just 9.3 goals per game in 3 contests, which pales in comparison to his career FGA of 16. Gilbert Arenas broke it down. He showed displeasure with Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau for his inability to adjust to KAT’s style of play.
At Gil’s Arena, the three-time All-Star pointed out that the Knicks are used to playing without a power-shooting center. In recent years, Knicks centers like Mitchell Robinson and Isaiah Hartenstein have been afterthoughts in offensive schemes.
While the Knicks are moving the ball from guard to forward positions, they aren’t used to turning the ball over to a high-volume shooter like KAT. Thus, Coach Tibbs’ current offensive design is insufficient to get the best out of Towns. said Gilbert Arenas
“You haven’t passed the ball to the five in how many years? These were guards. So you don’t really have any plays for this guy[Towns] at the Five. So the fact that he plays five and can’t see the ball, that’s just your offense.”
“You haven’t passed the ball to the five in how many years? So you don’t really have plays for [KAT].”
Gilbert Arenas on why KAT is fighting the New York Knicks. pic.twitter.com/bkfBSfLYEB
— Gilbert Arenas (@GilsArenaShow) October 29, 2024
According to Arenas, Thibodeau needs to get a better handle on the situation instead of relying on the same coaching methods he’s used over the past four years with the Knicks. Arenas also complained that old-school coaches like Thibodeau are often too sloppy and unable to teach young players how to find open looks.
In doing so, he blamed the Knicks HC for Towns’ lack of involvement in the offense. On the other hand, Knicks player Jalen Brunson believes he was unable to get KAT going.
Is Jalen Brunson the burden?
During Monday night’s loss to the Cavs, Towns took just 8 shots, half his career field goal average. Brunson took the blame for KAT’s lack of field goal attempts. He wants his teammates to make sure their All-Star-level center gets enough touches to fire his shots. Speaking after the game after the loss, Brunson said,
“As good as Karl is, no one can really take him out of a game. It’s up to us—it’s up to me as a teammate—to make sure we’re all on the same page and everyone’s eating. I have to be better when it comes to that, I have to adjust and I have to see“
Brunson’s responsibility as the leader of this team suggests that he will do his best to increase Towns’ offensive chances. While it’s true that Towns hasn’t been able to produce at his usual rate thus far, it has to be acknowledged that he was traded to the team a few weeks ago.
It’s an adjustment not only for him, but for the team as a whole. The low shot volume shows that both sides don’t want to rush things on the offensive end. They are still figuring out ways to make each other successful.
These are the first days of the season. Teams find their rhythm after the opening periods, but that doesn’t stop fans and analysts from overreacting. The Knicks will find out if Karl-Anthony Towns is the right fit for them as the year progresses.