Karl-Anthony Towns Has Big Shoes to Fill for Knicks

The New York Knicks are going into the season with a lot of new aspects to the team, but there is also one part that is missing from last year’s squad.

Isaiah Hartenstein was a massive loss for the Knicks after he signed a three-year, $87 million deal with the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Hartenstein leaving New York for OKC is one of the 30 most impactful offseason moves, according to Bleacher Report writer Dan Favale.

“The New York Knicks, meanwhile, lost their best big man as the result of this union in OKC. That’s not on them. Early Bird rights restricted how much they could offer,” Favale writes. “None of which makes losing him any easier.”

The Knicks have their solution in Karl-Anthony Towns after making a blockbuster trade with the Minnesota Timberwolves, and he’ll have massive shoes to fill from Hartenstein. Sure, Towns is a four-time All-Star and is certainly a better offensive option than Hartenstein ever was, but defensively is where he will need to make his impact.

The Knicks have a great defensive team with OG Anunoby, Josh Hart and Mikal Bridges all causing fits for opposing scorers on the wing, but they will also need Towns to do his part with big men in the middle. Towns was a center throughout most of his career, but when Rudy Gobert arrived in Minnesota two years ago, he was moved to the power forward spot. Now, Towns will once again play center, defending each team’s biggest player on the court.

If New York can figure out how to fill the gap, the team should be right back where it was in the Eastern Conference stadings. If not, the Knicks may end up falling short of where they want to be both on the floor and in the standings.

Make sure you bookmark New York Knicks on SI for the latest news, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns and so much more!