New York was already entering the first game of the season — a nationally televised showdown with the Cleveland Cavaliers between the teams expected to be battling for the East crown — without defensive center Mitchell Robinson (“left ankle injury management,” basically load management) and sixth man Josh Hart.
Now it looks like you’ll be able to add Karl-Anthony Towns to the list of players injured for the opener. Wednesday afternoon, hours before the season opener, New York downgraded Towns to “doubtful” with a groin strain. There is “increased pessimism” that Towns will be able to play, [reports ESPN’s Shams Charania](https://x.com/ShamsCharania/status/1981049713693728903).
That would leave the Knicks without their starting power forward and center, going up against one of the best frontlines in the NBA in Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen. In recent practices, the Knicks had been trying out a Towns and Guerschon Yabusele front line, but now it may just be the Knicks’ newcomer on his own.
Towns was an All-NBA player last season, averaging 24.4 points and 12.8 rebounds a game, and many around the league expect him to have a better season playing in new coach Mike Brown’s better spaced out, ball-movement offense.
Now all of that is on hold until Towns — and Robinson — are healthy and back on the court.
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