There’s a new ‘Roommate’ in town. Karl-Anthony Towns joined Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart on the ‘Roommates Show’ to discuss the trade that landed him in New York and how the Knicks will function with him in the lineup.
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Brunson, who was the team’s offensive engine for most of last season, revealed his excitement about having KAT in the frontcourt.
“I mean, you already see, like, the gravity he has. And I remember talking about it in the game, I said, ‘Even if you don’t have the ball you can see the type of gravity you have on the court,’” the 2024 All-Star said.
New York’s front office will certainly be happy to hear this. KAT’s outside shooting threat is what made him a better fit on the Knicks roster over Julius Randle, who attempted 5.3 three-pointers per game last season while netting just 31.2% of them.
Towns, on the other hand, attempted the same volume of shots from outside but converted them at a 41.6% clip. Not only does this make him one of the best (if not the best) big man shooters in the league, it also helps unlock the floor spacing for Jalen Brunson.
Last season, with non-shooting bigs like Randle, Mitchell Robinson and Isaiah Hartenstein clogging up the paint, the 6’2 guard still averaged 19.5 drives per game. He was third in the league for volume, behind taller guards Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Luka Doncic. Despite the less-than-ideal floor spacing around him, Brunson not only got to the rim at an elite rate, he was also shooting 51.6% on his drives.
However, next season, defenses can’t wean KAT off the same way they could wean Randle off, and this will inadvertently create more openings for JB’s driving game. Because Towns’ scoring threat is going to force the opposing centers into vacating the paint.
KAT too has never played alongside a point guard of Brunson’s caliber and should benefit from his gravity too. However, for the Knicks’ offense to truly click into gear, the drama of their blockbuster trade needs to be put in the rearview mirror.
Timberwolves President helped keep Towns calm
Though it is exciting to see Towns laughing it up on the ‘Roommates Show’ podcast, it’s also understandable if the 28-year-old is a little sore about being traded by the franchise he was loyal to for nine seasons.
KAT revealed on the podcast that he only learned of the trade four minutes before Shams Charania reported on it. What has helped the Dominican-American center process the move is Minnesota’s respectful approach to notifying him.
“I didn’t get called. Tim [Connelly] told me to my face that I was traded…It was gangster, I ain’t gon’ lie,” Towns revealed. “[We] could’ve just started spazzing out and crashed out, so I’ve got to give respect to him.”
Connelly came over from the Nuggets in 2022 and helped Minnesota build the juggernaut defense we saw during the 2024 playoffs. Departing from their long-time franchise center was the biggest move of his tenure, and one that clearly positions Anthony Edwards as the face of their franchise.
With or without hard feelings, it will be an exciting matchup when Towns returns to Target Center and takes on his old team. Unfortunately, we have to wait until December 20th to see that happen.
