The Knicks’ bold move to acquire Karl-Anthony Towns paid off in a big way on Wednesday. The former Minnesota big man, who averaged 15.3 points in his first three games with his new team, erupted for 44 points in a victory over Miami.
Towns had 25 field-goal attempts after not attempting more than 11 in the first three games.
“I think we did a good job of just feeding the hot hand,” Jalen Brunson told the New York Post’s Stefan Bondy. “He was hot and we were just playing through him. He was making the right reads and when they doubled he either got fouled or he made the right play. We trust him. We trust him.”
We have more on the New York teams:
- Josh Hart was listed as questionable entering the contest after getting accidentally kicked in the shin by Cleveland’s Caris LeVert on Monday. He wound up playing 42 minutes and contributing 10 points, 14 rebounds and six assists. “That’s what you love about him,” coach Tom Thibodeau said, per Bondy. “There’s no other agenda other than winning. So whatever you ask him to do he’s going to give you everything he has.”
- Ziaire Williams was thrilled to get some revenge on his former team on Wednesday, as the Nets beat the Grizzlies on the road. Williams, a 2021 pick, was dealt to the Nets over the summer in what was essentially a salary dump. He contributed 17 points, three assists and four steals in the 13-point win. “Oh, man, it feels great. I wanted this one bad, man,” Williams told Brian Lewis of the New York Post . “It was a weird feeling just being out there on the other side. It’s still all love, yeah, miss those guys. But nah, I was definitely happy I was able to talk some smack and more importantly get the win.”
- Dennis Schröder, an unrestricted free agent next summer who’s hopeful of re-signing with the Nets, poured in 33 points — including 11 in the fourth quarter — against the Grizzlies. He’s averaging 24.6 points and 8.2 assists per game. “At one point, he said, ‘Just give me the ball. I’ll take care of this.’ And that’s what he does. He’s a leader,” coach Jordi Fernandez said, per Lewis. “He puts everybody in place. If he has to score, he scores. And he finished the game. So it’s really, really, really good to have him on the court.”
No one expects a lot from the Nets this season, but they are fun to watch. Jordi Fernandez gets the most he can out of the players. It’s similar to when Kenny Atkinson first took over the Nets and to when Jacque Vaughn had them in the bubble.
Which of these great bigs would you rather have on your team if you could have him his whole career..
Karl Anthony-Towns, Pau Gasol, Bam Adebayo, Alperen Sengun or Alonzo Mourning?
Rank a top 3 if possible
Pau, Mourning, Bam, Towns, Sengun.
Pau is Pau. Mourning was the better player when healthy, but his kidney issues really kicked his butt in the second half of his career (not his fault, obviously, but it has to be considered). Adebayo because I value defense so much, and I’d find it frustrating to deal with Towns’ inconsistent play (though Towns has the higher ceiling, his floor is lower too; Bam will at least give you elite defense even on a bad day). Sengun just hasn’t done enough yet for me to feel confidence, though I’m big on his potential.
They’re all pretty close, tbh. Pau and Mourning are the clear best ones, but Bam and KAT are both great players too. And Sengun has the chops to be a similar level, maybe better. I don’t think there’s a losing pick here.
To build a team now…
Sengun…
To win now…
Towns
All time
Pau
Alonzo
Bam
KAT
Sengun
Towns just needs time, like Knicks. Fact he’s rebounding and playing D. Are the most exciting things to me. Hukporti is still a big key for me.
Not a fan of Hart starting. I’d rather see a real 4.
I mean, he might “just need time” but as a Celtics fan I’d be a lot more scared if Hartenstein, Donte and Randle were still around. These team has a drastically different vibe
Hardenstein was out of the Knicks control, though. Who knows if the trade happens had they been able to retain him.
KAT was awesome last night. He took 25 shots, and I can’t recall any of them being forced. Beyond the shooting, and more impactful, he came up big on the boards down the stretch, including two offensive rebounds and put backs on consecutive possessions that effectively ended the game. The only blemish was too many unforced fouls, for the second game in a row, but he didn’t foul out this time, and made some intelligent defensive plays down the stretch even with 5 fouls.
Whether the trade ends up a good one for the NYK will take awhile (years maybe) to determine. But last night, the upside of it was on full display. It’s been decades (at least) since the NYK have had offensive options this good.
Reports of a wrist inury for KAT are not surprising…
All that shaking hands with Thibs to say they’re all good now took it’s toll…