Mike Brown gives rare praise for Karl-Anthony Towns' individual performance on defense
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Mike Brown gives rare praise for Karl-Anthony Towns' individual performance on defense originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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Karl-Anthony Towns has always been known as an excellent offensive player. Unfortunately, he does not have the same reputation on the other side of the game, as his defense is often seen as mediocre. He has held his own over the years, especially when he had Rudy Gobert alongside him.
Of course, Towns is not on the Minnesota Timberwolves anymore, as he is playing for the New York Knicks. Recently, he has been playing better on that end, as head coach Mike Brown highlighted. He is impressed with Towns, but he has called out the rest of the Knicks because there are still some problems.
Brown gives rare praise for Karl-Anthony Towns' defense
As one of the Knicks' best players, Towns is always under the spotlight. Considering he is also the starting center, the responsibility is high, especially on the defensive end. Of course, he is not a renowned defender, but he is doing his best to match up against other bigs.
Even in the pick-and-roll, Towns is doing well enough on the switches. That has led Brown to praise him, as the Knicks are a much better team when he is locked in on defense. They already have some decent defenders on the roster, so a locked-in Towns makes for a higher-quality team.
MORE: Karl-Anthony Towns admits he is adjusting to a new role for the Knicks this season
It has been a challenging year for Towns, as he has adjusted to a new role under Brown. He was a featured player under former head coach Tom Thibodeau last season, even veering into a 1A-1B situation with Jalen Brunson.
This season, there is a clear hierarchy, which means Towns has to be a more well-rounded player to contribute. Thankfully, he has recognized that, which is why he is trying harder on defense to help the Knicks get more wins.
"I think he's been pretty good defensively. Now, we as a team, our communication has to be a little bit better overall. But, if you're talking about it individually, leading to the hole, it's been pretty good overall besides one area, not just KAT, but all of our guys can get better at communicating," Brown said after the Knicks' win over the Wizards on Sunday.
Towns is infamous for committing personal fouls on defense. The recent dip in the number of fouls he has committed shows that he is playing much better defense. Moving forward, the Knicks will be a stronger team if KAT's defense persists.
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