Knicks’ Offense and Towns’ Performance
Coach Mike Brown recently pushed back against the notion that Karl-Anthony Towns needs to step up his involvement in the Knicks’ offense or be more aggressive. And then, on Saturday night, Towns just went out and did his thing. He scored a team-high 25 points during a close 108-106 win over the Rockets at Madison Square Garden.
“We know Jalen Brunson and Towns are our main guys, our leading scorers,” Brown noted before the game. “We want to make sure they’re prioritized in our offense. KAT should be getting a lot of focus, probably as the second leading scorer. I mean, he’s got to be in that role behind Jalen. The top scorer gets the most attempts and, well, the second one should, ideally, be hot on their heels.” He paused, “So we’re counting on that to play out.”
While Brown acknowledged that Towns has been positioned correctly within the scoring chain, he also mentioned he’s made some changes to the offense to get the best out of him. “We’ve simplified things significantly,” he said. “Our offense has shifted since the preseason because we needed to adjust and allow Jalen to score first and then KAT right afterward.” It seems like they’re trying to find a balance, which I guess can be tricky.
This all ties into the recent news that Tyler Kolek has temporarily been sent down to the G League to join the Westchester Knicks, where he performed quite well, putting up 19 points and dishing out 13 assists in a 122-114 victory over the Cleveland Charge. After that game, he was recalled to the Knicks’ active roster, though he didn’t see any minutes in the following game. “I just had to take a quick shower and race over,” Kolek mentioned. “I was really hoping I’d make it in time for tip-off.”
Brown remarked on Kolek’s situation, particularly how the team acquired Jose Alvarado just before the trade deadline, which shuffled things around in terms of the rotation. “Jose gave us a different dynamic. Tyler is showing promise; he could be a solid player. It’s all about finding opportunities for him to get more involved,” Brown explained.
As for Mitchell Robinson, he logged 18 minutes during the Saturday game, contributing six points and four rebounds. He’s set to play Monday against the Bulls in Chicago, which might be a chance for him to shake off any rust.
Interestingly, John Harbaugh, coach of the Giants, made an appearance at the game and was met with a warm reception from the crowd at Madison Square Garden. It’s always nice to see crossover support in the city.
