New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns has had a phenomenal first season in the Big Apple, and now he leads the league in a very prestigious category.
Knicks’ Karl-Anthony Towns leads the NBA in rebounding
On Sunday against the Orlando Magic, Towns recorded 22 points and grabbed a season-high 22 rebounds. Those rebounds put him over the top of the rebounding leaders, as he is now first in the NBA in rebounds per game with a career-best 13.9.
Additionally, Towns has recorded 15 consecutive double-doubles, the first Knick since David Lee in 2009 to do so, per ClutchPoints. Towns is tied with Kings’ center Domantas Sabonis for the NBA lead in double-doubles with 22 this season.
His season average for rebounds is the first time since the 2020-21 season that he is averaging double-digit rebounds per contest. In his last two seasons with the Minnesota Timberwolves, Towns was mostly playing as the power forward alongside Rudy Gobert, which is what likely attributed to the drop-off in rebounding numbers.
However, with the Knicks he is the team’s main center, and is currently the only seven-footer in their rotation with Mitchell Robinson still out with an injury. Towns’ defense has not been the greatest at the five but it has been manageable, though his rebounding and physicality has reached a whole new level.
Towns is carrying the team’s rebounding production
Despite that, the Knicks are one of the worst rebounding teams to begin the season, as they currently rank 25th in rebounds per game with 42.4. The lack of size around Towns is likely a factor into that, which makes his presence around the glass more profound.
He is attributing about a third of the team’s rebounding production and is doing so while also being a top scorer in the league. Towns is averaging 24.8 points per game while shooting 52.6% from the floor and 43.9% from three.
The Knicks traded away a strong rebounder in Julius Randle and a great shooter in Donte DiVincenzo to bring in Towns, and the big man is providing all of that in one. His efforts are instrumental in the Knicks’ 16-10 start to the season that currently has them third in the Eastern Conference, and he could find himself in the MVP conversation by season’s end if he continues to produce at a high level.
