Mike Brown coming to Karl-Anthony Towns realization Tom Thibodeau always knew

Karl-Anthony Towns has long been known for his subpar defensive contributions, and this trend has continued with the New York Knicks. During his first season under former coach Tom Thibodeau, the Knicks' defensive unit dropped from a top-10 ranking to 13th overall, with Towns registering the fourth-worst defensive rating on the team among players who appeared in at least 50 games.

In the 2025-26 season, new head coach Mike Brown is facing similar defensive issues with Towns, as evidenced by the team's performance in the first six games. The Knicks have slipped to 16th in defensive rating (115.3), 24th in blocks per game (3.8), and 25th in opponent field goal percentage (48.5), indicating a further decline on defense.

Towns' defensive shortcomings are highlighted by specific examples, such as a recent two-game series against the Chicago Bulls where he was frequently targeted in the paint. This led to an average of 54.0 points scored in the paint, with his primary assignment, Nikola Vucevic, scoring 26 and 17 points on roughly 60.0% shooting. Lineups featuring Towns at center have resulted in poor defensive metrics, ranking in the 55th percentile for opponent points per 100 possessions (114.5) and only the 12th percentile for opponent effective field goal percentage (58.6%).

Offensively, these lineups have not compensated for the defensive lapses, as they average just 120.1 points per 100 possessions with an effective field goal percentage of 53.7%, placing them in the 79th and 41st percentiles, respectively. While the return of a double-big lineup with Mitchell Robinson offers some hope, Coach Brown is managing Robinson's workload due to his injury history, meaning Towns is expected to remain the primary center for the foreseeable future.

Unless the Knicks make an in-season move to bolster their center position, Towns will likely continue in this role, with the hope that the offense improves to offset the defensive weaknesses and prevent the team's performance from deteriorating further.