As one NBA great sees it, the New York Knicks would be best suited to play through Karl-Anthony Towns this year. The superstar center has been playing with an elite level of efficiency, which could allow the Knicks to emulate a legendary duo from the NBA’s rich history.
Knicks urged to use Shaq & Kobe model with Karl-Anthony Towns & Jalen Brunson
Per KnicksMuse, retired three-time All-Star Gilbert Arenas recently touched on the Knicks’ dichotomy on his podcast, Gils Arena. He likened the way the Knicks should prioritize Towns in the offense over All-Star Jalen Brunson unto the Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant Los Angeles Lakers in the early 2000s, saying in part:
“I think KAT should be the No. 1 option. I think it’ll take a lot of pressure off of Brunson, carrying the team,” Arenas rationalized. “It’s like the Shaq-Kobe style, right? Shaq is option one, one through three. Five, six minutes left in the game, it goes to Kob, and I think that’s how this one should be. We’re gonna use Towns, as long as he’s getting it rolling. Use him. I’ll find my way, keep myself involved, but the majority of the shots is gonna go to him, and then in the last four, five minutes, I get to take over.”
Knicks: Towns is on the prowl in 2024-25
Towns is absolutely dominating this season. He owns the eighth-highest scoring average in the league with 26.4 points per game. He’s also shooting a blistering 50 percent from three-point range. Towns is scoring six points a night in pick-and-roll situations, good for No. 3 among all screen-setters league-wide, and has executed well with the ball in his hands.
The Kentucky product is at a point in his career where he’s had ample playoff experience and filled several offensive roles. It may be time for him to amalgamate all of those skills and traits as the Knicks’ lead man while Brunson serves as the late-game showstopper that he is.
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Brunson could thrive in faster offense as late-game hero
Brunson draws double teams out of the screen-and-roll just as much as Towns does out of the post. When the game slows down and defenses trap Towns, the Villanova product could not only find easier looks off the catch, but also force defenses to shift as they try to contain both players. That’s what made the Shaq & Kobe Lakers so special. Shaq would punish teams inside for 42 minutes while Bryant got going, and once L.A. knew that teams would look to send O’Neal to the line or deny him the ball, Kobe would have free reign to boogie in the midrange.
Encouragingly, both Knicks stars are scoring in volume on offense, so much sacrifice likely won’t have to be made to make such a dynamic work. For now, Arenas’ suggestion remains just that. But if the season continues on its current trajectory, Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau may revert to such a scheme.
