Karl-Anthony Towns Says History With Knicks’ Tom Thibodeau Gives Him ‘Head Start’

Since news broke that the Minnesota Timberwolves would trade forward Karl-Anthony Towns to the New York Knicks Friday night, the word writers and fans have kept throwing around is “stunning.” Towns was a community pillar in the Twin Cities—one who is not easily replaced practically or aesthetically.

For Towns, however, the presence of a familiar face will ease the transition. Towns has been reunited with Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau, who coached the forward on the Timberwolves from 2017 to ’19.

“I think it gives us a little bit of a head start,” Towns told reporters Thursday via ESPN’s Chris Herring. “I know the offense he likes to run. I know the way he likes to play defense and what he expects from his players.”

With Towns and Thibodeau, Minnesota went 31-51 in ’17, a rock-solid 47-35 in ’18, and 36-46 in ’19—a season that included Thibodeau’s January firing.

Thibodeau has coached some of the best basketball of his career with New York. His 50-32 mark in ’24 was his best since 2015 with the Chicago Bulls.

“(Towns has) gotten a lot more experience. He’s now been deep in the playoffs and knows what that’s like,” Thibodeau told reporters per Herring. “As much as you try to prepare for something like that, until you go through it, you don’t fully understand what that is. His understanding is so much further along now than in his second year in the league.”