World news and discussion on TalkFuse.
Contract drama be damned, Karl-Anthony Towns has been Knicks’ best player
Karl-Anthony Towns has been the New York Knicks’ standout player through the first eight games of their title defence, despite earlier voicing frustration over the lack of a contract extension. His strong start comes as the reigning champions have struggled for consistency, and he says his focus is on helping the team defend its title.
Towns is averaging 19.9 points, 13.6 rebounds and 3.1 assists, with a career-best 42.9 per cent accuracy from three-point range; he has recorded a double-double in every game. Coach Mike Brown praised his energy and all-round contribution, while identifying pick-and-roll defence and turnovers as areas to improve: Towns is averaging 3.8 turnovers, up from 2.5 last season.
In short
- Towns has led the Knicks through their first eight games.
- He is averaging 19.9 points and a career-high 13.6 rebounds.
- He says defending the title matters more than contract concerns.
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Towns’s production and consistency make a strong case that he has been the Knicks’ best player so far: he is scoring, rebounding and creating efficiently, and has recorded a double-double in every game. His contribution is especially valuable while the champions seek consistency, and his stated focus on defending the title suggests the contract dispute has not distracted him.
The case against
Eight games are a limited sample, and individual statistics do not by themselves establish who has contributed most to the team. Towns’s elevated turnover rate and areas identified by his coach, including pick-and-roll defence, complicate the claim; teammates’ contributions and overall impact would also matter in judging who has been the Knicks’ best player.