At the Apex Part 2: Karl-Anthony Towns

Karl-Anthony Towns’ basketball life has always been pressurized. In high school, he was the National Player of the Year and the second-ranked recruit in the nation. He committed to Kentucky, a team with high expectations that finished the regular season 38-1 en route to a Final Four appearance. That team would feature nine future NBA players, but it was Towns who was selected with the first pick in the 2015 NBA Draft.

Towns was drafted by Minnesota to be the savior of a franchise that hadn’t been to the postseason in 11 years. In his time in Minnesota, he was expected to overcome the pressure that came with that draft selection. That pressure persisted and has remained after he was traded to the Knicks. Towns was brought in to help deliver a title to New York, to be the missing piece that would unlock this team’s potential. In his first year as a Knick, the team made the Conference Finals for the first time in over two decades, and the expectations are only higher this season. Like many other Knicks, Towns is at a crossroads moment in his career, and this postseason will tell us a lot about the story of his basketball journey.

It takes a lot to sacrifice being demoted from primary option in the NBA; to go from the lion’s share of usage to a more complementary role is a massive adjustment. Karl-Anthony Towns started to come to grips with that reality in Minnesota when Anthony Edwards arrived and started to emerge. Similarly, it has been his role in New York behind Jalen Brunson. This season has been the clearest indication of that adjustment, as Towns is averaging a career-low in shot attempts. He has gone from being the versatile fulcrum of an offense to a player who contributes in other ways—with rebounding and sound defensive rotations.

His pivot this year is reminiscent of Pau Gasol when he went to the Lakers. Gasol, like Towns, was drafted to be the savior of a struggling franchise (the Memphis Grizzlies). Both won Rookie of the Year and were prolific offensive players on developing teams. When Gasol went to Los Angeles, however, he was asked to be the Robin to Kobe Bryant’s Batman and play meaningful playoff basketball. The same can be said for Towns in New York, as he arrived to a team with championship aspirations on day one. As he enters his sixth postseason campaign, a reinvention of how we view Towns is possible.

There has been a notion that he is a soft player who shrinks in difficult moments. Part of that comes with the nature of his game; a proficient shooting big man is not usually described as ‘tough.’ But this season, we have seen a different side of Towns, a player engaged defensively who attacks the rim often (his 52% rim shot rate is a career high), and a ferocious rebounder. While those who watch every regular-season game have seen this transformation, those outside of the Knicks bubble still have the same preconceptions about Towns as a player.

Gasol, too, was labeled as a soft European when he was in Memphis. But as a Laker, he transformed the perception and became a perennial All-NBA player. That sort of shift could occur for Towns this postseason. A playoff run that consists of him defending at a higher level and rebounding as he has the entire season would cause many to take notice. They would see that this is not a player who is unfit for a big moment, but rather a player who was ready for the biggest moment of his career.

A successful playoff run for Towns also helps to cap off his status as an iconic New York athlete. There is a certain desire by many of us fans to have a player who gets us and understands the city. As a native of New Jersey who grew up rooting for the Knicks, Towns already has deep knowledge of the city and its culture. A championship for Towns also likely ensures that he remains a Knick, which speaks to tensions that could resurface if the playoffs go poorly for Towns and the Knicks.

It’s safe to say that the last two offseasons have been unusual ones for Karl-Anthony Towns. In the summer before the 2024-25 season, he was traded from Minnesota to the Knicks shortly before the season began. And then this past summer, in what should have been a moment of continuity, Towns faced the prospect of acclimating to a new coach and the ever-present swirling rumors that he would be traded as the Knicks engaged in trade talks with the Milwaukee Bucks to acquire superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo.

Though the trade never materialized, the shadow of Giannis has loomed large throughout the season in the NBA, with a simmering understanding that the outcome of this Knicks season could have implications on where Antetokounmpo lands this summer. For Karl-Anthony Towns, his future as a Knick hangs in the balance. A poor showing and a premature playoff exit almost assuredly mean Towns will be shopped in the offseason in the hopes of bringing Giannis to New York and maximizing its title contention window with him and Jalen Brunson.

The repercussions of that eventuality for Towns could be damaging to his overall standing in the context of his career. A trade to a quickly rebuilding Milwaukee Bucks or other non-playoff team means that Towns will likely enter a less glamorous stage of his career, where he is no longer a key piece of a good team, but rather a solid veteran presence for a young team. That is a far cry from being a pivotal piece on a championship-contending roster for the franchise he grew up idolizing.

This postseason is an inflection point for many Knicks players, but perhaps none more than Karl-Anthony Towns. Success means that he is an instant legend in New York, idolized for decades, and revered for the rest of his life in the city he calls home. Failure likely means the great unknown of being an NBA journeyman is not far away. It’s a cruel proposition for a player who has delivered so many great moments, but it certainly feels that this is the crescendo of a most fascinating career.