Knicks’ playoff hopes rely on Mike Brown solving longstanding Karl-Anthony Towns problem

NEW YORK – From a certain perspective, the New York Knicks’ loss to the Atlanta Hawks on Monday night was just the latest chapter in an awkward story they’ve been writing all season. Karl-Anthony Towns, who has played in 77 games for the New York Knicks under head coach Mike Brown, is still not consistently involved in their offense.

In the first three quarters of their Game 2 loss to the Atlanta Hawks, Towns took 10 shots. He made eight, scoring 18 points, while securing eight rebounds. The Knicks won his 25 minutes by 15.

In the fourth quarter, though, Towns attempted just two shots in eight minutes. He made neither and didn’t leave any other kind of dent in the box score. It was the opposite of Game 1, when he shot 2-9 over the first three quarters.

Despite committing five turnovers in the stretch, he received credit from Brown for his playmaking. Then, he dominated the fourth quarter to the tune of 11 points on 4-4 FG in seven minutes.

After Game 2, though, Brown put the responsibility squarely on Towns for his own lack of fourth quarter impact. The coach told reporters that, while he’s not concerned by it, there was a lack of aggression from the star.

“KAT’s a great player. He’s just gotta impose his will on the game, and that’s,” Brown cut off. “If he was a young guy, maybe I’d need to say something to him. But as a veteran guy, that’s been an All-Star as many times as he is, I don’t need to tell him every game, ‘Hey, go be aggressive.’ He knows we need him to do that.”

Towns certainly has agency, at times setting ball screens but not rolling with fervor or missing reads within the flow of Brown’s offense. But the reality remains for the Knicks that their highest-paid player, a play-finisher, isn’t a consistent part of their offensive flow. Given their championship expectations, that’s a problem.

They can’t afford to continue without solving it.

Towns’ Game 2 ghosting continues a harmful Knicks trend

The responsibility of ensuring that Towns stays involved certainly falls in part on star point guard Jalen Brunson, New York’s lead option. But it’s ultimately on Brown, as head coach, to ensure the Knicks give themselves the best chance to win.

After watching the film, he said as much at the team’s practice facility on Wednesday.

“We didn’t execute well, offensively, starting with me. I didn’t mix it up enough offensively going down the stretch,” Brown told reporters of the Game 2 collapse.

As a result, the Knicks struggled – again – to make the most of their $53 million offensive weapon.

In each of the first eight quarters of their playoff run, they were more successful running scripted offense than freelancing. But even though the Hawks went back to guarding Towns with center Onyeka Okongwu midway through the third quarter of Game 2, New York only got about half of the boost from organized sets in the fourth quarter that they saw in Game 1.

Towns clearly had little involvement, which doesn’t line up with his usual true usage percentage based on matchup. When defended by a wing, his time of possession divided by his minutes played comes out to 32%. That increases to 48% when matched up with another center, Knicks analyst Shax told ClutchPoints.

After starting with a motion offense to instill Brown’s principles, the Knicks shifted toward letting their stars freelance. Towns dominated inferior opponents, but struggled with turnovers and, at times, went entire quarters without shooting against top defenses.

Brown highlighted a lack of sharp decision-making by the big in early January, when asked about the double teams Towns was facing in the post. The center responded by buying into the dirty work, with his coach crediting him later that month for doing “what great players do” and adjusting via back-to-back 20-rebound performances.

Towns finished the 2025-26 regular season second in the NBA in total and average rebounds. His defense, which helped the Knicks win Game 1, improved as New York settled into their current scheme. And he found great success as a screener after the trade deadline, both with Jalen Brunson and Jose Alvarado. Towns and Brunson were the NBA’s best pick-and-roll duo by points per direct from February 1 and on.

So what happened?

Knicks won’t win with Towns if they can’t solve this recurring issues

When Brown made rotational changes in preparation for the playoffs, the main focus was on Alvarado’s exclusion in favor of Jordan Clarkson. But the coach also moved away from starting the second and fourth quarters with Towns’ playmaking for lineups comprised mostly of reserves.

The team began featuring OG Anunoby to start both quarters, leaving Towns playing the majority of his minutes alongside Brunson. The Knicks ended up losing Game 2 mainly because of their struggles without both Brunson and Towns, and their lack of rhythm when both played.

Staggering the two throughout the regular season helped, with Towns making his sixth All-Star appearance despite efficiency struggles. But the Knicks have also succeeded with their two best players on the floor. They’ll need to replicate that, as well, to complete their championship quest.

Locker room leader Josh Hart was asked after Game 2 about the stark difference between Towns’ shooting 6-7 in his 14-point third quarter and 0-2 in the fourth. His answer bluntly laid out what the Knicks need to make happen going forward.

“Um, yeah, I mean, something we gotta- make sure that he’s involved. Find him on mismatches, put him in action, make sure we use his skill and his gravity to our advantage. That’s something that we’ll look at the film and be better with,” Hart told media.

The Knicks, as a team, can think whatever they want about Towns’ playstyle. But the reality of the situation has always been that, for as long as he’s on the roster, they need to find ways to win with their $53 million center.

Towns has played in each of the NBA’s last two Conference Finals, one in each conference, as the second option. Last year, he dominated the Detroit Pistons in the first round once Brunson fully adjusted to their defensive coverages.

If Brown can help Brunson and the Knicks make the same kinds of adjustments against the Hawks, it might just help get Towns back on track, too. That can help New York quickly turn any present panic back into championship hype.

It all starts on Thursday night in Atlanta, where they’ll need to win their first road playoff game of 2026.

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