Brown pushes back on criticism of his star center ahead of a Saturday night showdown with the Houston Rockets.
The New York Knicks entered the All-Star break on a high note, but a 126-111 loss to the Detroit Pistons on Thursday night brought some familiar questions back to the surface about whether Karl-Anthony Towns is doing enough for this team.
Before Saturday's matchup against the Houston Rockets at Madison Square Garden, Brown was asked how he sees the up-and-down play of Towns and his questionable fit in the offense, and the head coach did not hesitate to stand behind his big man.
"First thing, you tell me, I look at KAT and he's right where he should be," Brown said. "Maybe he should be the leading scorer, I don't know, but second leading scorer? He's that."
Brown's Confidence in Towns Is Not Surprising
Brown's response was short and direct, and it tells you a lot about how the coaching staff views Towns' role alongside Jalen Brunson, who leads the team with 27.4 points per game this season.
Towns is averaging 19.8 points, 11.9 rebounds, and 2.9 assists per game on 46.6 percent shooting from the field, numbers that make him one of the better centers in the league even if they represent a dip from his career averages.
The criticism around Towns has been building for weeks, with some analysts pointing to his scoring regression and his three-point shooting percentage sitting at 35.1 percent, the second-worst mark of his career, and the conversation about his long-term fit in this offense has only gotten louder.
The Knicks sit at 35-21 on the season and hold the third seed in the Eastern Conference, so it is not like the team is struggling by any means, but when you look at how Towns has been used differently under Brown's system compared to last year under Tom Thibodeau, the adjustment has been real and the growing pains have shown up at times throughout the season.
Recent Performances Tell a Mixed Story
Towns has had some strong outings recently, including a 21-point, 11-rebound double-double in the loss to the Pistons on Thursday, a 22-point, 14-rebound effort against the Indiana Pacers earlier in the month, and a 21-point, 11-rebound showing in a blowout win over the Philadelphia 76ers on February 14th.
All of which show that when Brunson draws the attention of opposing defenses, Towns can still feast in his role as the second option.
But there have also been stretches where Towns disappears for long periods, and Brown himself has acknowledged areas of concern in the past like fouling out of games and needing to stay on the floor longer.
The talk around the league about whether Towns is the right long-term fit next to Brunson has only grown louder during the second half of the season, especially after the Knicks went through a rough 2-9 stretch from late December into mid-January.
A Big Test Awaits on Saturday Night
Saturday's game against the 34-20 Houston Rockets, who are sitting at fourth in the Western Conference behind Kevin Durant, presents a good chance for Towns to quiet the noise and prove that Brown's confidence in him is well-placed.
Because the Knicks won the 2025 NBA Cup and have shown they can beat just about anybody when things are clicking, the question is not about talent but about consistency.
That starts with Towns finding a steady rhythm in Brown's offense moving forward.