Karl-Anthony Towns Takes Blame for Knicks Struggles

New York Knicks big man Karl-Anthony Towns has had flashes of brilliance in his first few games with the team. However, he is perhaps a little critical of himself and knows that he can give more and perform at a higher level.

For someone who was just recently blindsided by a trade from the team that drafted him No. 1 overall nine years ago, Towns is due for an adjustment period. However, he doesn’t quite see it that way.

Towns emphasized where he feels he has been falling short and what he can do to help the team get out of its current funk.

“I’ve got to do a better job getting the rebounds, instilling the energy from the start,” Towns said h/t Posting and Toasting. “We came out sluggish. One of the things I’ve got to always do is instill energy into the game, and I came out sluggish. I take responsibility and accountability for that. These guys work extremely hard. Our guards are working tremendously hard every night with the matchups with the way we are playing defense. I’ve got to do better.”

So far this season, Towns is averaging 23.1 points and 13.0 rebounds per game. Only Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokic and Sacramento Kings big man Domantas Sabonis average more rebounds per game than Towns, so to hear that he can do even more on the boards could make him the best rebounder in the NBA if he gets to that point.

The Knicks have won just three of their first seven games this season, so that’s also part of why Towns may be more critical of himself.

A sign of a good teammate is to point the finger at himself before others, and perhaps Towns’ self-reflection will inspire his fellow Knicks to do the same. That collective effort towards getting better will get the Knicks out of this early-season struggle.

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