Knicks Excited About Karl-Anthony Towns’ Growth

New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns is just 24 games into his tenure with the team, and he has already made quite the impact.

Towns, 29, is averaging 24.8 points and 13.9 rebounds per game so far this season for the Knicks, and those are numbers that have impressed coach Tom Thibodeau.

“I guess I had pretty high expectations for him. I thought when I had him as a young player (in Minnesota), I knew he was a great rebounder then, and I felt he’d be able to adapt to going back to the center position,” Thibodeau said h/t Posting and Toasting.

“Then the offense, he’s, always, whatever you asked him to do, he’s always done.”

Towns has vastly transformed the Knicks offense this season, catapulting them to No. 3 in the league behind the Cleveland Cavaliers and Boston Celtics, who each have the two best records in the NBA.

Thibodeau credits Towns’ versatility towards the success of the Knicks offense.

“Whether playing five-out, away from the basket, you can play him back to the basket, put it on the floor. I’d say he’s probably a better passer now than he was then. He sees things a lot earlier. I think the double-team he’s more comfortable with,” Thibodeau said.

While Towns has always been one of the league’s best big men since arriving in the league as the No. 1 overall pick in 2015, he has continued to elevate his game as his career has gone on.

When Thibodeau coached him with the Wolves, he was not the same player that he is today.

“I think experience is a great teacher,” Thibodeau said.

“I think that he’s been through a lot of different things. I think he’s learned a lot. He’s a lot stronger now than he was then. He’s always had great touch. He’s always had really good instincts. But I think being in big games and that sort of thing and adapting to different teammates, you learn from your teammates.”

Towns and the Knicks are back in action tonight as they take on his former Minnesota Timberwolves team. Tipoff is scheduled for 9:30 p.m. ET.

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