Mike Brown came to Karl-Anthony Towns’ defense.
Towns is often criticized for his lackluster effort on that side of the ball.
His lack of speed, especially laterally, is often noticeable when he is late in rotations or comes slowly up the field.
But even though it was against a weak opponent, Brown was impressed with Towns’ defensive performance during the Knicks’ win over the Jazz on Friday night at Madison Square Garden.
“KAT, he’s tall,” Brown said. “He moves his feet better than what people think. He also has great touch, he’s a smart basketball player. If he uses his length the right way, which he’s been doing lately, just run into a wall and let them shoot over you. If they make it, just move on to the next play. But if he does that, it helps our paint defense a lot.”
One thing that has helped Towns defensively is that he has primarily played center lately, where he can stay closer to the paint, rather than moving forward where he is forced to defend opponents outside the perimeter.
Mitchell Robinson was removed from the starting lineup and came off the bench for the last five games he played.
Cities therefore played a central role.
Sunday’s matinee against the Magic at MSG provides the Knicks with a necessary opportunity to make a statement.
They lost both their first two matchups this year.
Most concerning was how poorly the Knicks were outplayed in both losses.
Franz Wagner killed them in their last meeting, a 133-121 Knicks loss in Orlando.
He recorded 37 points on 13-for-19 shooting from three-point range, along with seven assists and six rebounds.
The Magic are fourth in the Eastern Conference, 1.5 games behind the second-place Knicks.
Towns (left calf tightness) is questionable for Sunday’s game.
The Knicks will wear their City Edition jerseys and display their corresponding field for Sunday’s game.
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