Karl-Anthony

Towns

While Towns has recorded a double-double in each of his first three games this season, that production has not kept the Knicks from going 0-3. Against the Magic, KAT recorded a stat line that only lacked a three-pointer, as he missed all four of his attempts. The Knicks play three games in Week 2, starting Tuesday against the Pistons.

After struggling with early foul trouble in Tuesday’s loss to the 76ers, Towns did not commit a foul during the first quarter of Friday’s game. The bad news is that he made up for it by committing three fouls in the second quarter. Towns finished with a solid overall line, and avoiding early foul trouble let him log 37 minutes. He’ll look to build on Friday’s productive effort when the Knicks host the Magic on Sunday.

KAT dealt with a ton of foul trouble early, which limited him to just six minutes in the first half. He played 18 minutes in the second half and was still able to turn in a strong stat line, though it was frustrating that he wasn’t available for most of the first half. That has been a bad habit of KAT’s at times throughout his career, but it isn’t something that should happen every game. He’ll look to fix that against the Celtics on Friday.

Towns recently expressed displeasure with how his contract negotiations with the Knicks have gone, but he also vowed professionalism won’t be an issue. The 7-footer has a player option worth $61 million for the 2027-28 campaign, but closing a deal before the season starts would likely save the Knicks money. With Josh Hart and Miles McBride also hoping to get deals done, the Knicks have some financial things to address as they look to repeat as champions.

Charania’s report aired on ESPN Wednesday afternoon. Towns is eligible to sign a four-year, $276 million max extension. According to a report from Stefan Bondy of the New York Post, the Knicks are asking Towns to take less than the max, which explains how the negotiations have seemingly fallen apart. Towns’ stock will likely never be higher coming off a championship run where he was arguably the second-best player on the team. He’s coming off the board in the early part of the second-round of fantasy drafts.

For the second consecutive game, Towns struggled with foul trouble on Saturday. While he was productive as a rebounder and defender in his 23 minutes, extended bench time robbed KAT of his offensive rhythm. However, this did not keep the Knicks from winning their first NBA title since 1973. And even with the poor individual finish, Towns’ play throughout New York’s title run may boost his value in fantasy drafts. The Knicks were most lethal when more of the offense ran through KAT, which may be an approach head coach Mike Brown takes in 2026-27. Using a late-first round pick on Towns in standard league drafts would not be a reach.

Towns battled early foul trouble in Game 4 but showed up for his team when it mattered most. He logged just 18 minutes but scored a couple of big baskets in the fourth quarter as the Knicks mounted their comeback, and finished the period as a team-best plus-21. The veteran center earned his third double-double of the series despite the low minutes total on Wednesday. He’ll have an opportunity to tally a fourth when the Knicks attempt to close out the Spurs on Saturday.

As the teams left the floor for halftime at the end of the first half, cameras caught Towns letting everyone know that Victor Wembanyama can’t mess with him. He continued to back up that talk in the second half with his second double-double of the series. Towns isn’t close to being dominated by Wembanyama the way the Thunder’s Chet Holmgren was in the Western Conference finals. The way he’s playing right now, he’s closer to having a legitimate chance of winning Finals MVP.

Towns’ biggest moments of Wednesday’s contest came in the third quarter, scoring 10 points in the frame while helping overcome a 14-point deficit to tie the game at 76 at the period’s end. He didn’t score in the final frame, but still concluded the game with solid numbers. The veteran center had several nice drives and finishes at the basket while being defended in isolation by Victor Wembanyama. If he can continue to hold his own in that matchup, the Knicks could find themselves in favorable positions.

Previous reports indicated that Robinson should be available, and he was able to do some individual work on Sunday. However, his official designation for the first game of the Finals is questionable. Don’t expect Mike Brown to dip deep down the depth chart for center minutes if Robinson is out. Karl-Anthony Towns will likely play a massive workload, with Ariel Hukporti giving him a few minutes to breathe when Victor Wembanyama isn’t on the floor.