Karl-Anthony Towns Says He Doesn’t Know His Role in Knicks’ Offense Under Mike Brown

Karl-Anthony Towns doesn’t fully know what his role will be in new head coach Mike Brown’s offense even if he believes he eventually will.

“Honestly, I don’t know—but we’re figuring it out,” he told reporters Monday.

That’s surely not exactly what Knicks fans want to hear since the regular season starts Wednesday with a highly anticipated matchup against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Cleveland and New York may be the best two teams in the Eastern Conference, so the head-to-head matchups could go a long way toward determining seeding and eventual home-court advantage.

The Knicks reached the Eastern Conference Finals under head coach Tom Thibodeau last season but decided to fire him. They hired Brown as his replacement with the hope they can take the next step.

Brown led the 2006-07 Cavaliers to the NBA Finals with LeBron James on the roster, although they fell short against the San Antonio Spurs.

He has a track record of success, although there will be plenty of pressure in New York given how impressive the team was under Thibodeau just last season. The fanbase will not be pleased if he doesn’t quickly establish a culture of winning, especially in an Eastern Conference that is so wide open.

Towns is a major part of what the Knicks do on the offensive end, so figuring out what his role is and maximizing his chances of success will be key if the team is going to live up to elevated expectations. 

That means the big man and head coach better figure out what that role is sooner rather than later.