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Iman Shumpert is a supporter of the New York Knicks' trade for Karl-Anthony Towns. Although the former Knicks first-round draft pick expressed concern over how the Towns/Jalen Brunson pairing will work in crunch time during a recent appearance on First Take, he believes the Knicks are better off following their acquisition of the four-time All-Star.
“I think him and [Julius] Randle together would have been nasty, but I totally get that's the only way you can do the trade,” Shumpert said while speaking on behalf of his new ESPN+ series, Taking One For The Team, which debuts on Oct. 16. “I think KAT fits really well with that team. I think he fits well with the personalities, the willingness to share. I think with Brunson, there's something about that that I really like. I don't know why I like it yet. With these Knicks, you can't speak too early.
“We have to make sure we add the right coaching plays and then the coaches stay put, we got a lot of stuff going on in New York. But I'm very excited about this pick and roll coming with those two just because KAT understands spacing and he's able to stretch the floor as such a big target for Brunson,” Shumpert continued. “He's got good hands and he can finish giving Brunson that in a scaled-down version because Julius was a little more than a triple-threat player than a smooth combination of a pick-and-roll that we're used to.”
Brunson and Randle did well as a pairing together over the past two seasons, helping lead the team to back-to-back semifinals appearances after the team missed the playoffs in eight of the nine prior seasons. However, it became clear that Randle's crash-to-the-hoop style wasn't the best fit for Brunson's playmaking style. Shumpert argues that Towns' game is a better fit for Brunson than Randle was.
“Julius breaks it off a little bit more to go downhill,” explains Shumpert. “And I think that KAT and Brunson will have better chemistry in that world — they'll be more Stockton and Malone than the pick-and-pop and somebody drive it.”
“They had the pick and roll Melo syndrome, where it's like Melo from 18 feet. My boy needs nine seconds, we going downhill,” Shumpert continued. “That's how Julius goes. I think that Brunson gives KAT the ability to get downhill off of somebody having to play catch up and KAT doesn't get that too often. But when he does, he's really successful.”
Knicks go all-in with Karl-Anthony Towns
Towns made his Knicks preseason debut on Sunday in the team's 111-109 victory over the Charlotte Hornets. He posted 10 and four rebounds along with a deep three-pointer, showing off his shooting touch.
Although Randle has technically averaged more assists per game than Towns over their careers — 3.7 to 3.2 — the latter is much more efficient overall than the former. Towns has shot 52.4% from the field, 39.8% from beyond the arc and 83.9% from the charity stripe over his career. By comparison, Randle has shot 47.0% from the field, 33.3% from beyond the arc and 74.8% from the free-throw line.
“I think with who they have playing the perimeter, I think as long as they got somebody that can knock down shots, that KAT has available, he can also make that pass,” Shumpert said. “He can make that rotational pass, he can make that hook pass in the strongside corner, he's able to do that by going downhill I'm excited to see that pick and roll. I don't want to speak too early and jinx them. I'm not going to say too much, but excited about the Brunson-KAT pick-and-roll.”
When asked if the Knicks are better off with Towns compared to with Randle, Shumpert didn't hesitate.
“Yes,” Shumpert said of the new-look Knicks. “Because the styles fit so much better. “
