The New York Knicks’ promising season is over.
Getting past the defending NBA champions wasn’t enough, and they fell just two wins short of a trip to the NBA Finals.
Granted, it’s unfair and inaccurate to blame just one person for this loss.
However, it seems like frustration has been brewing in the locker room for a while now.
According to a report by The Athletic (via NBA Central), Knicks players grew sick and tired of Karl-Anthony Towns’ efforts – or lack thereof – on the defensive end of the floor:
“Publicly, Knicks players made veiled comments all season about poor communication causing their inconsistencies. Behind the scenes, they and coaches expressed frustration with Towns’ defensive habits — less concerned with his talent level and more with his process on that end. Too often, Towns executed incorrect coverages without communicating why he did it. After it became a theme, players worried Towns didn’t grasp the importance of the matter,” read the report.
Knicks players and coaches were reportedly frustrated with Karl-Anthony Towns’ defensive habits, per @TheAthletic
“Publicly, Knicks players made veiled comments all season about poor communication causing their inconsistencies. Behind the scenes, they and coaches expressed… pic.twitter.com/S0Y3wM8OxG
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) June 1, 2025
Towns is a very talented offensive player, but he’s never been a good defender.
He gets most of his blocks as a help defender and because of his size, but he’s often exposed and manhandled on defense.
Of course, he was very good on offense for most of the series, and chances are the Knicks wouldn’t have gotten this far without him.
Then again, the Indiana Pacers kept attacking him repeatedly, and he did little to avoid getting exposed.
Playing defense is a lot about technique and skills, but it’s mostly about effort, and the players can tell when someone isn’t giving their all on that end of the floor.
Towns has been in the league long enough, so he is what he is at this point and isn’t likely to change his habits.
Tom Thibodeau had coached him in Minnesota, so it’s not like this team didn’t know what they were getting into when they traded for him.
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