The New York Knicks had one of the best seasons in franchise history during the 2024-25 campaign. For the first time since 2000, the Knicks made it to the Eastern Conference finals. The biggest change for them was trading for All-Star big man Karl-Anthony Towns before the start of the season. New York traded for him and moved on from Julius Randle.
In his first campaign with the Knicks, KAT had one of the best seasons of his career. The big man averaged 24.4 points, 12.8 rebounds and 3.1 assists on 52.6% shooting from the field. He finished the season as the second leading rebounder behind Sacramento Kings center Domantas Sabonis.
In December, he dominated the boards and averaged 14.6 rebounds in 13 games. During the stretch he was available, the Knicks only lost once, which was evidence that he left a lasting impact on the floor last season.
His co-star, Jalen Brunson, was recently interviewed by D.J. Siddiqi of GamesHub. During their talk, Brunson was asked about KAT’s impact on the New York Knicks, which helped them have a winning record in the East.
“He’s been phenomenal for us, in the locker room has been great,” Brunson said. “On the court, he’s been great. The things that he’s been able to do in a short period of time being a Knick has been amazing. Having him as a teammate has been really fun. I think that gets overlooked how good of a teammate he is.
“Obviously, he’s a great player and what he does on the court. But the teammate he is and what he brings to the locker room for us is special. So I’m really happy to have him.”
Towns is ‘his own person’ according to the New York Knicks star
It’s easy to make comparisons all the time. Kobe Bryant was compared to Michael Jordan for most of his career. Due to their similar approaches to the rock, Kyrie Irving and former NBA player Allen Iverson are being compared.
But for the New York Knicks big man, Brunson thinks that there isn’t an easy comparison for him. In his interview with Siddiqi, the two-time All-Star described how KAT is different from other players and how he is difficult to compare.
“Don’t think you can compare him,” the star guard said. “He shoots the ball so effortlessly, and he can make plays. He has great touch around the rim, so he’s pretty much his own person. He picks different games of styles of basketball, and kind of makes it into his own.”
Although there have been a few shooting big men recently, no one does it like Towns. He combines finesse outside the 3-point arc and his tenacity when scoring inside the paint.
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Reign also writes NBA and WNBA news updates on Sportskeeda. He started as a feature writer for AirAlamo, an NBA website that covers the San Antonio Spurs. Some of his work can also be seen on Valley of the Suns, a Phoenix Suns-centric website, where he served as a contributing writer.
