New York Knicks big man Karl-Anthony Towns
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New York Knicks big man Karl-Anthony Towns
The New York Knicks are fresh off of an embarrassing loss to the Indiana Pacers on Tuesday night. For Karl-Anthony Towns and company, it’s yet another wakeup call.
So far this season, the Knicks have looked the part of a potential contender in the Eastern Conference. However, there have been far too many games where the team simply hasn’t shown up.
At this point in the season, New York holds a 34-20 record. That has the Knicks placed No. 3 in the Eastern Conference standings. While that isn’t a bad place to be, New York has not played up to its talent.
Leading up to the trade deadline, Towns was talked about a lot in the NBA rumor mill. That led to some reports of unrest between him and the team.
Now, Towns is facing some criticism for his behavior on the court.
Karl-Anthony Towns Facing Criticism for Actions with New York Knicks
During the loss to the Pacers, Towns was met with some tough words from NBA analyst Mike Breen. He was not enjoying the complaining that the star big man was directing at the referees.
Breen’s comments came early in the fourth quarter of the loss to Indiana.
“Towns has to stop complaining,” Breen said. “I agree, sometimes, he doesn’t get the benefit of the calls, but it’s non-stop.”
In recent years, players have become increasingly bold with their complaining to referees. Towns is among the most prolific at arguing calls on the court. At the end of the day, players being unable to leave a call in the past can cause issues in their play.
This Season Hasn’t Been Kind to Karl-Anthony Towns
Throughout the course of the 2025-26 NBA season, Towns has struggled. His numbers are down quite a bit from where they were last year.
Towns has played in 50 games so far this season. He has averaged 19.8 points per game to go along with 11.9 rebounds and 2.9 assists, while also shooting 46.4 percent from the floor and 34.8 percent from the three-point line.
Last season, Towns played in 72 games. He averaged 24.4 points, 12.8 rebounds, 3.1 assists, and a steal per game and shot 52.6 percent overall and 42 percent from deep.
Clearly, his play has taken a step back this year. There is still time for him to turn things around and get back on track. A resurgence in his production would help the Knicks towards their goal of making an NBA Finals run.
Only time will tell if he’s able to pick up his level of play or not. For now, he’s struggling and his arguing with the referees is starting to draw some negative feedback.