After falling behind 2-1 in their first-round Eastern Conference showdown with the Atlanta Hawks, the New York Knicks are back in the driver’s seat and looking in control. That’s after they won Game 4 convincingly in Atlanta and followed it up with a superb dismantling of the Hawks at home.
Now, the Knicks have a chance to close out the series in Game 6, and they can do it with one key fix. This move can not only push New York into the East semis, but also propel it back to the NBA Finals—a stage it hasn’t been on since 1999.
At the start of the 2025–26 NBA season, the Knicks were seen as among the favorites to come out of the Eastern Conference for many good reasons. They have a star-studded roster led by Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns, complemented by Mikal Bridges, Josh Hart, OG Anunoby, and Jordan Clarkson. They finished their campaign with a 53-29 slate—their third straight 50-win season—and the third seed.
Despite all the firepower and the bright lights of the Big Apple, the Knicks struggled early against a young, inexperienced Hawks team that had just traded their biggest star and New York villain, Trae Young.
The good news is, the Knicks are seemingly back in a groove and can get past the first round. But if they are going to do so, it might be time for them to do something they should’ve done a long time ago: give Karl-Anthony Towns the green light.
Knicks Need to Use Karl-Anthony Towns More
New York’s All-Star big man was inconsistent in the regular season and drew lots of criticism for being lackluster. However, Karl-Anthony Towns has dialed it up this postseason and has been solid.
Prior to Game 5, Towns had been averaging 21.0 points, 10.8 rebounds, 5.0 assists, and 3.1 stocks (steals and blocks) while also shooting 50% from three. Those numbers are certainly better compared to Towns’ regular season, when he averaged 20.1 points, 11.8 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 1.4 stocks while shooting only 36.8% from long range—his second worst since 2018.
In Game 5, Towns tallied 16 points, 14 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks in another all-around outing to help the Knicks to back-to-back wins.
Needless to say, every time Karl-Anthony Towns puts up big numbers, the Knicks win. Examples include his 25-point explosion in Game 1 and his first playoff triple-double in Game 4.
Towns’ improved playmaking, as well as his better defense, has translated well in the playoffs. In fact, he has shown he deserves to have the offense go through him more. Which brings us to the question: Should the Knicks lean on Towns as their number 1 option in this year’s playoffs?
Statistical evidence says yes. Empirical evidence concurs.
