Karl-Anthony Towns gives the Knicks a specific Game 1 answer: keep him involved as a passer, shooter and decision-maker so Victor Wembanyama has to leave the rim to account for him.
The Knicks open Game 1 against the San Antonio Spurs on June 3 off another long layoff, the same setup that has occasionally slowed their starts this postseason. The cleaner edge for New York is not in the rest. It is in what Towns has become over the past two months.
How Towns turned into a facilitator
When the Knicks fell into a 2-2 hole against Atlanta in the first round, coach Mike Brown challenged Towns to become more of a passer from the high post, and Towns responded immediately. He is now averaging nearly as many assists in the playoffs as Jalen Brunson. Teammate Landry Shamet described the shift at Media Day: “When we got into the playoffs, he’s been a fantastic facilitator, playmaker at the top of the floor for us. Been really aggressive offensively, as well.”
The numbers back the role. Towns is putting up 16.9 points, 10.6 rebounds and 5.9 assists in the postseason. With him organizing more than ever, the Knicks own a league-best 123.3 playoff offensive rating, up 4.6 points from their regular-season mark, and Towns ranks second only to Wembanyama in player efficiency among players with at least 10 playoff games.
Why his passing pulls Wembanyama out of position
For the first two rounds, the Spurs deployed Wembanyama in a zone-adjacent scheme where he roams the paint as a back-line shot-blocker and lets the guards funnel ball-handlers toward him. Towns’ shooting range is the thing that breaks that setup. If he catches at the top of the floor, Wembanyama has to choose between protecting the rim and stepping out to a big who can shoot over him or hit a cutter off the catch.
The Cleveland sweep showed the version New York needs. Towns went 19 and 14 on 8-of-11 shooting in one game and 18 and 13 on 7-of-12 in another, scoring efficiently while controlling the defensive glass.
The counter is real
San Antonio still has the series’ most disruptive defender. Wembanyama is averaging 23.2 points, 10.8 rebounds and 3.5 blocks in the playoffs, and his presence makes teams reconsider shots at the rim. Towns also has to guard him for stretches, even with New York planning to rotate Anunoby, Bridges, Hart and Mitchell Robinson onto him.
Towns kept his own framing simple. “Obviously he’s a special talent, and the NBA is blessed to have him,” Towns said. “For us, we just have to have discipline in our game-plan and execute at a high level.” Josh Hart pushed back on the idea that the Knicks would overhaul anything for the matchup. “I don’t know if you can really prepare for that, because there’s not a situation that’s similar,” Hart said. “If we focus on ourselves and focus on the habits that we’re building, we’ll put ourselves in good situations to be successful.”
The path for New York
New York’s best Game 1 has Brunson attacking downhill while Towns bends the Spurs from above the foul line, keeping Wembanyama from loading up as a weak-side eraser on every drive. There is even a rebounding angle: San Antonio was the league’s top defensive-rebounding team in the regular season, but that edge flipped in its two losses to the Knicks.
The goal is not for Towns to win a one-on-one duel with Wembanyama. It is to make San Antonio defend the full floor before Brunson ever reaches the paint, and to keep Towns reading the game even if an early jumper misses.
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