The Continued Evolution of Karl-Anthony Towns

When the Knicks traded for Karl-Anthony Towns, we all knew that one thing was for certain: the offense would become a lot more efficient and offer a ton more spacing. This has come to fruition immediately, as the Knicks are the second-most efficient offense in the league behind the Cleveland Cavaliers with an Offensive Rating of 122.5 (an improvement over last year’s 118.6 rating).

Most of this comes from Towns’ incredible shot-making. He is currently shooting 47% on threes with over five attempts per game. But this ability was already known when he was acquired. What has made him special so far this season are two other factors we may have discounted: his incredible passing ability and mental toughness. These two attributes have answered many of the questions we had about Towns heading into this season, and the early returns have been overwhelmingly positive.