Mike Brown’s bold plan for KAT could expose his biggest weakness

Mike Brown has a history of utilizing big men as playmaking hubs, as seen with Draymond Green in Golden State and Domantas Sabonis in Sacramento. He might attempt a similar approach with Karl-Anthony Towns on the New York Knicks. However, a significant obstacle is Towns' ability to read defenses and pass effectively out of double teams, an area where he falls short compared to elite passing bigs like Green and Sabonis.

While Towns could potentially operate as a hub between the elbow and the three-point line, running actions like dribble handoffs, his limitations in handling double teams are well-documented. Throughout his career, passing out of drives and dealing with doubles have hindered his offensive game. Statistics from last season underscore this weakness: Towns faced the third-most double teams in the frontcourt, trailing only Nikola Jokic and Alperen Sengun. Crucially, among players with at least 400 doubled frontcourt touches, he passed out of them the least frequently (only 21.3% of the time).

Furthermore, Towns demonstrated significant turnover issues when doubled. He had the third-highest turnover percentage in that same group of players, turning the ball over on just over nine percent of his frontcourt touches where he was doubled.

For Towns to succeed as a playmaking hub under Brown on the Knicks, he must substantially improve his decision-making and passing ability, especially against double teams. Brown's preference for a fast-paced offense demands not only quick ball movement up the court but also rapid decision-making once the offense is set. If Towns is to take on a larger role in this system, his ability to make quick, effective decisions with the ball under defensive pressure will be essential.