Even the MSG broadcast is going in on Karl-Anthony Towns.
The beleaguered Knicks center had his hustle called out by someone within the organization for the second time in recent memory Tuesday night when legendary announcer Walt “Clyde” Frazier wondered where Towns was after falling to the court on the other end.
“Where is Towns? He’s just getting into the picture,” Frazier said roughly 10 seconds after Towns missed a shot in the Knicks’ 103-87 win over the Kings.
Towns has come under fire in recent weeks, especially with the Knicks not playing up to their potential and the Giannis Antetokounmpo trade rumors that always include him.
Almost two weeks ago against this same Kings team in a surprising 112-101 loss, he earned scorn from head coach Mike Brown after half-heartedly attempting to get back on defense after hitting the deck.
“He drove. Something happened where he fell down. He drove, he fell down,” Brown said at the time. “When you fall down, you got to get up and got to sprint down the floor. And even when you’re the last guy down the floor, you got to get down there just in case there’s a long rebound. But there was no urgency. That wasn’t the only play. There were a handful of plays that we did that. But there was no sense of urgency on that particular play to get back. And it was a five-point swing.
“If he at least gets down the floor, long rebound, he’s going to get it because he’s trailing the play. We watched the play at halftime and he didn’t even cross halfcourt. That sums up what our night was.”
Towns made more of an effort Tuesday night, but it’s notable that a team-friendly broadcaster noticed his lack of hustle.
After Towns missed a tough shot in the third quarter with the Knicks leading, 75-72, the Kings pushed the ball up the court and crossed midcourt roughly three seconds later.
Sacramento did not take advantage of the five-on-four situation, and Towns only appeared in the screen roughly 10 seconds after his missed shot.
Making matters worse for Towns, he did not play down the stretch, with Mitchell Robinson instead anchoring the court.
He finished with 17 points and 11 rebounds.
These types of players and coaching strategies raise questions about Towns’ future with the team, especially if the Knicks truly pursue a blockbuster trade for Antetokounmpo.
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
