Knicks Coach Praises Karl-Anthony Towns’ Growth

Karl-Anthony Towns is getting another shot to impress Tom Thibodeau with the New York Knicks.

The big man was coached by Thibodeau earlier in his career while he was first establishing himself in the league with the Minnesota Timberwolves, but the coach says he is a very different player with the Knicks now that he has more experience under his belt.

“I had him when he was young,” Thibodeau said h/t Posting and Toasting. “We’d do shooting drills and he wouldn’t miss any. Wasn’t quite as strong as he is now. Didn’t have the experience. Now he has that. He’s a student of the game. He keeps adding. He’s seeing the whole floor now. His passing has really evolved. He’s always been a team-first guy, but now he really sees things. He understands what the defense is trying to do. Initially, like most young guys, the vision was more narrow. Now he sees more than one guy. He sees everyone, and that goes a long way.”

When Towns came into the league, he was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft and had all of these expectations that he had to meet. But now, he plays with a sense of maturity, one that is needed to be a star player on a contender.

Towns got to experience the fruits of his labor in the last few years with the Wolves, and his efforts culminated in a Western Conference Finals trip — the franchise’s first in 20 years. However, the Wolves were ready to move on thinking that he wouldn’t be able to grow further.

Now with the Knicks, Towns has a chance to prove the Wolves wrong, and he’ll do so with his old coach by his side once again.

Towns and the Knicks are back in action tomorrow against the Phoenix Suns.

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