As New York Knicks fans react to Karl-Anthony Towns' All-Star starter snub, NBA insider Zach Lowe shared his honest opinion on the topic. Amidst the surprising Knicks sudden trade rumors surrounding Towns, fans have also expressed their frustration when KAT wasn't announced alongside All-Star Jalen Brunson as one of the five Eastern Conference starters.
Towns' glaring flaws for the Knicks this season was factored into his All-Star snub, Lowe said, per the Zach Lowe Show.
“I’m not putting Towns on. I’m sorry if you’re getting booed off the floor by your own fans. There’s a constant existential dilemma about whether he’s that helpful. How helpful is he? Is he a four? Is he a five? Why is the KAT, Mitch thing not working? He’s not shooting that great this year,” Lowe said. “He’s missing a lot of open threes. The turnovers are up, and each one uglier than the next. It is what it is, and that’s going to be the fatal flaw of this team.”
In the Eastern Conference Towns had over 1.2 million votes from fans leaving him as the seventh-highest vote getter in the East. He was ranked 9th in player votes as well.
While averaging 21.0 points and 11.6 rebounds, Towns is shooting a career-low 46.7% from the floor, including 35.8% from three, which is his worst 3-point shooting clip since his rookie season.
Knicks have reportedly had Karl-Anthony Towns trade talks
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Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) looks up during the third quarter against the Sacramento Kings at Golden 1 Center
Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images
After Jalen Brunson called a players-only meeting, some believe Karl-Anthony Towns could be part of some drastic changes on the horizon ahead of this year's trade deadline. Three teams have had trade talks with the Knicks over Towns, according to Newsday's Steve Popper.
“Whispers around the league have begun to speculate about the possibility of the Knicks moving him,” Popper reported (According to one league source, the Knicks have not shopped Towns or brought him up with any teams). “His name surfaced when the Bucks and Knicks discussed the chance of a deal involving Giannis Antetokounmpo, but now league sources said talks have involved other teams, including Memphis, Orlando and Charlotte.”
The NBA trade deadline is February 5.