The process of integrating big pieces into a new-look roster doesn't always go in the smoothest of fashions. For the New York Knicks, they are certainly discovering firsthand just how difficult it is to transform your roster over the course of the offseason and have it work optimally instantly. The Knicks fell to 1-2 on the year following their 110-104 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday night, with the talk of the town being Karl-Anthony Towns' lack of involvement in the offense.
It seemed as though Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau would have no difficulties making use of Towns' talents thanks to his experience coaching the Dominican big man during their time with the Minnesota Timberwolves. Instead, Towns took just eight shots on Monday night — the fewest among the members of the team's starting five. This suboptimal use of Towns sparked a bit of frustration from Knicks fans which they then vented on X, formerly known as Twitter.
“Obviously the chemistry’s not there, but Thibs really needs to learn how to coach a less predictable offense and one that focuses more on off the ball movement and getting guys open. Towns should not be having shot attempts on the single digits,” X user @ForgetfulThink1 wrote.
“Thibs' failure to adapt his offense to maximize KAT's skill set is evident. Towns is clearly underutilized. Fire that mfking boomer coach,” @KnicksPrimeTime added.
Tom Thibodeau, Knicks have to re-think team's allocation of shot attempts
Karl-Anthony Towns is one of the best and most versatile scoring centers in the association; he's able to score from all three levels, and his speed and ballhandling makes him a mismatch problem for most big men in the league. This is the reason why the Knicks traded for him, and yet it's confounding for them to not utilize him properly.
Having Towns end up with just eight shot attempts is inexcusable. And it hasn't been an isolated case for the Knicks. As Tommy Beer of Knicks Centric pointed out, Towns is averaging just 9.3 field-goal attempts through the first three games of the season — the fewest of his career.
Moreover, it’s the first time since January 2018 that Towns has attempted fewer than 12 field goals in three straight games. During that time, Tom Thibodeau was coaching him on the Timberwolves.
There simply has to be a way to take some of those shots away from Jalen Brunson (who went 8-24 in their loss to the Cavs), whose efficiency has dropped to begin the year.
