On Wednesday, the New York Knicks will kick off their 2025-26 NBA season with a home game against the Cleveland Cavaliers. It will be the first game for the Knicks under head coach Mike Brown, who was hired to replace Tom Thibodeau this offseason on the heels of New York's trip to the Eastern Conference Finals.
Recently, Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns raised eyebrows when asked about his role with the team, saying,” I don’t know, but we’re figuring it out,” per Kristian Winfield of the New York Daily News.
One person who is alarmed by those comments is former NBA forward Chandler Parsons, who recently took to FanDuel's “Run It Back” show to address his thoughts.
“To me it’s one of two things. It’s either he hates the role that his new coach Mike Brown has given him, because he’s been there all summer. He’s had all training camp with him. So for him to say I don’t know, means he’s not stoked with it because he knows what it is,” said Parsons. “It just simply to me means he’s not rolling with whatever the role of the offense that the new coach is putting in because you don’t just say that the day before the season starts and not expect the reaction like this. This is crazy.”
“Maybe there’s some truth to the (trade) rumors,” quipped co-host DeMarcus Cousins.
“KAT to Milwaukee,” predicted Parsons.
Parsons never did reveal what the second option of his “one of two things” caveat was.
A troubling quote for Knicks fans
While it's entirely possible that Towns didn't mean anything by his quote and is genuinely looking forward to exploring what he can be in Brown's offensive system this season, it's never a great sign when your second best player is openly discussing his confusion ahead with just days remaining before a season kicks off.
Last year, the Knicks utilized Towns in pick and pop situations heavily, but bizarrely went away from that to some extent as the playoffs wore on.
It remains to be seen what sorts of sets Brown will want to run with Towns' unique skillset.
The Knicks and Cavaliers are set to tip off on Wednesday at 7:00 PM ET from Madison Square Garden.
