The New York Knicks’ starters all scored in double digits last night, but it wasn’t enough to overcome the Donovan Mitchell-led Cleveland Cavaliers. Notably, Karl-Anthony Towns tallied the fewest points among the starting five as he put up just eight shots in his 13-point effort in the 104-110 loss.
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Last season, Towns averaged 15 field goal attempts per game. That number has reduced significantly in his first three games in New York as the center is putting up just 10 shots a night. Jalen Brunson, the Knicks’ starting point guard, took responsibility for KAT’s reduced production, refusing to lay the blame on the former Timberwolf.
“As good as Karl is, no one can really take him out of the game. It’s just on us. It’s on me as a teammate to make sure we’re all on the same page and we’re all making sure that everyone’s eating. I got to be better when it comes to that,” the 2024 All-Star shared during a locker room interview.
"As good as Karl is, no one can really take him out of a game. It's on us–it's on me as a teammate–to make sure we're all on the same page & everyone's eating. I gotta be better when it comes to that, I gotta adjust & I gotta see"
–– Jalen Brunson on KAT taking only 8 shots pic.twitter.com/T7iCN7ZzNy
— New York Basketball (@NBA_NewYork) October 29, 2024
In his six years in the NBA, Brunson has primarily been a score-first guard. Therefore, lack of playmaking has been New York’s biggest issue since their blockbuster trade with Minnesota.
As the Knicks’ lead guard, Brunson is accountable for orchestrating much of the team’s offense. His 7 assists against Cleveland were the most by any New York player last night – and that has been the biggest problem for Tom Thibodeau’s side.
Through three games, the Knicks are averaging 20.3 assists per game; the third-lowest mark among all teams in the league. Brunson’s 4.7 assists per game are simply not going to suffice if the team intends to activate their sharpshooting center, Karl-Anthony Towns.
KAT reflects on how he can improve his volume
Despite the playmaking struggles on his team, Towns himself has struggled to create shots within the flow of the game. He was asked how he intends to improve on that following the Knicks’ loss to the Cavaliers.
“I’ve got to watch tape. It’s really a simple answer. I just got to watch tape to see how we can get more threes up. Obviously, Boston has something in place that they showed…So, there may be something there to learn from,” Towns shared in a locker room interview.
"I've got to watch tape, it's really simple as that."
Karl Anthony-Towns on how the Knicks can shoot more three's moving forward: pic.twitter.com/ZGrzH28iXf
— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) October 29, 2024
Looking at the Celtics, who the Knicks opened their season against, it becomes apparent why these teams are trending in different directions. Boston is leading the league thus far with 50.3 three-point attempts per game.
On the other hand, New York’s three-point shooting has been the worst in the league. They have attempted just 28.3 shots from deep per game, and even though the threes are falling at a respectable 37.6% clip, the Knicks are far behind the league average in terms of volume.
Nonetheless, it’s a promising sign that both Jalen Brunson and KAT are remaining cognizant of their shortcomings in the first few games. After all, if they don’t figure it out soon, the New York faithful will make their feelings on the matter abundantly clear.
We’ll find out if Brunson’s assist numbers and Towns’ three-point volume see a resurgence when the Knicks travel to South Beach on Wednesday night.
