In the big picture, Knicks star Karl-Anthony Towns is still an obviously valuable offensive piece for the team under coach Mike Brown, especially in the fourth quarter of games. Towns leads all Knicks with an average of 5.7 points in the fourth, taking considerable pressure of Jalen Brunson, who typically carried the team down the stretch of games before Towns’ arrival last season.
But one of the ongoing subplots of this season has been the difficulty that Brown has had matching up what Towns has been giving him against what Brown wants to see from Towns. Brown wants Towns to “play the right way” as he says, which is coach-speak for showing more toughness, more willingness to move the ball and set screens, less of an emphasis on scoring and more on defense and rebounding.
Brown can take his place in a line of NBA coaches who have sought those adjustments from Towns, only to be disappointed. But Brown is holding Towns to it, and because of that, any wrinkle that comes up between coach and player probably is magnified. Like when the player is benched in the fourth quarter, for example.
Knicks Finished Win Over Blazers With Strong 4th Quarter
That’s what happened on Sunday in New York’s big win over the Trail Blazers, which ended a string of five losses in six games, as glue-guy guard Josh Hart made a relatively early return from and ankle injury. Towns played the first 2:36 of the fourth quarter, during which time the Knicks gave up a 9-2 run to Portland. Towns was replaced by Mitchell Robinson, and did not return.
“We normally do [close with Towns],” Brown told reporters. “On the minutes sheet, he’s there [to play down the stretch]. But we strung a lot of stops together. And we were getting out and going. And I will do this — if I think a group is rolling, I’ll keep a group out there. As long as it doesn’t impact a guy’s minutes drastically. And that group was rolling and I kept them out there because of it.”
The Knicks outscored the Blazers, 31-20, after Robinson entered the game for Towns.
GettyMike Brown, New York Knicks
Mike Brown Takes Responsibility for Karl-Anthony Towns Issue
But again, the logic of keeping Towns on the bench–he finished with 20 points and 11 rebounds in 28 minutes–may have been sound, but because the difficulty that has emerged between Brown and Towns this season, the optics are not great. Towns is on a $224 million contract that pays him $53 million this season, so when he is benched it appears that Brown’s efforts to get Towns to adjust his game are falling flat.
Brown did accept that he needs to iron things out for KAT.
“I’ve said this before: It’s not all on KAT to adjust to and adapt to what we have to do,” Brown said. He’s had the hardest adjustment period because he’s had to learn the most. In the same breath, I have to make sure that I help him by simplifying what we do and making sure I’m putting him in the right spots and then he’s got to do the things necessary to help out, as well.”
Knicks’ Mike Brown Explains Star’s 4th-Quarter Benching