It is officially a new era for the New York Knicks. Karl-Anthony Towns is now their solution at center, though it came at the cost of Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo, two guys who were very important to the Knicks franchise.
The Knicks have a completely new look to the roster
It is clear that New York has decided to go all-in this year, as they want to build the best roster possible to match up with the defending champion Boston Celtics. With Towns now the team’s new starting center, the Knicks will have fantastic floor spacing thanks to his elite perimeter shooting and a potentially deadly pick-and-roll combination with Towns and Jalen Brunson.
The addition of Towns fills a massive need for New York, as the injury to Mitchell Robinson is going to keep him out of action for at least the start of the season. Prior to the trade, the Knicks did not have a healthy seven-footer, and Randle was likely to be the starting center fresh off of shoulder surgery that ended his season early last year. Now, the Knicks were able to get the best center that was available to round out their starting five.
The Knicks’ starting five could be potent
The starting five is going to look a lot different than initially anticipated. Following the Mikal Bridges trade, the assumption was that he simply would take DiVincenzo’s spot in the lineup, but now he might play at the wing with OG Anunoby. Josh Hart likely comes back into the starting five, a spot that he performed very well in last season and in the playoffs.
With the versatility of Bridges, Hart, and Anunoby, those three players will essentially be position-less, guarding the guys that match up the best for them. Hart will be largely impactful on the glass, and will likely be tasked with crashing for rebounds even more.
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Towns will return to his natural position with the Knicks
Towns will now be able to return to his natural position at center after playing the last two seasons at power forward for the Minnesota Timberwolves. There were concerns about how he and Rudy Gobert fit together in the frontcourt, but they seemed to alleviate those concerns after reaching the Western Conference Finals last postseason.
Regardless, Towns now will once again play the position that he saw the most success in. He will also reunite with head coach Tom Thibodeau, who spent time together with the Timberwolves in 2018-19. The big man had some his best seasons under Thibodeau, so the hope is that he is able to further expand his game and become the proper Randle replacement.
