The New York Knicks have been searching for a floor-spacing five for years. Since the departure of Kristaps Porzingis several seasons ago, the Knicks haven’t had the luxury of playing a center with the ability to score from the perimeter. However, that will change with the acquisition of former Minnesota Timberwolves star Karl-Anthony Towns, and he will almost certainly become the best shooting big man in the history of the franchise.
Karl-Anthony Towns gives the Knicks an elite shooting center
Towns, a career 39.8% shooter from three-point range, is one of the most potent offensive centers in the history of the league. The nine-year veteran has the most threes made by a center in league history with 975, and he’s done so in just 573 games. He has made an average of 108 three-pointers each season, which is an incredible mark for a big man and is transformative for the Knicks’ center room.
Over the past several seasons, the Knicks have not had a shooting center of any kind. In fact, New York centers have accounted for just a total of 23 made three-pointers since the 2019 season. Isaiah Hartenstein was the closest thing they had to a center that could space the floor, but more for his playmaking abilities as opposed to his outside shot.
Now with Towns in the mix, the Knicks not only have a center that can score from the perimeter, they have arguably the best option at the five to score from outside. Adding him to the starting five changes everything for the Knicks, as his presence now makes them a more even matchup with the Boston Celtics and their five-man out lineup that they run.
The Knicks tried desperately to replace Hartenstein’s floor spacing ability
The Knicks offense flowed with Hartenstein starting at center instead of Mitchell Robinson, whose game is mostly restricted to underneath the basket. Following Hartenstein’s departure in free agency, it became clear that they needed to replace the production he provided, and they ran into some tough luck in the market as the options available were very limited and volatile.
The options they were considering included Walker Kessler, Nick Richards, and Deandre Ayton. Those guys would’ve been great fits in their own regards but are not on the same talent level as Towns.
Then, Robinson’s return from injury was delayed longer than initially anticipated, meaning that the Knicks were without a center completely with just one month until Opening Night.
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The trade for Towns came as a shock
It didn’t seem like the Knicks were going to make a move for Towns this quickly, especially considering that they already made a summer splash for Mikal Bridges earlier in the offseason. In addition, the Knicks had indicated that despite the rumors, they weren’t interested in trading Julius Randle, their All-Star power forward who was likely to get significant minutes at center with Robinson out.
Ultimately, the Knicks pulled the trigger, addressing a massive need while sacrificing the All-Star that turned the team around a few seasons ago as well as their best three-point shooter in franchise history in Donte DiVincenzo. On paper, both the Knicks and Timberwolves improved in their own regards, addressing the needs that they both desperately needed.
Time will tell if the move was the right one, but the Knicks could have themselves a top-five offense in the entire NBA now that they have added the best shooting big out there. It will be a breath of fresh air to see the Knicks have several options on the floor that can attack from all three levels of the court.
