The New York Knicks will enter the upcoming NBA season with high expectations following last year’s run to the Eastern Conference Finals. New head coach Mike Brown will attempt to get the most out of a New York Roster that came within striking distance of a trip to the NBA Finals, and Karl-Anthony Towns could be a pivotal part of the team's effort to get over the hump.
Despite the many reasons to be optimistic, Towns recently offered a realistic take on what his ceiling might be under Brown’s offensive scheme.
“Honestly, I don’t know… I don’t know,” Towns told SNY. “But we’re figuring it out. Honestly, I just don’t know… it’s just different. It’s different.”
Towns averaged 24.4 points, 3.1 assists, and 12.8 rebounds across 72 games last season under head coach Tom Thibodeau. It is possible that the 29-year-old could be in for an even more impactful campaign with a coach such as Brown at the helm.
Brown has made it clear that he wants the team to be a faster team on offense and one that can push the pace of play when needed. But, like Towns, he has attempted to temper early expectations.
“It’s not gonna happen Game 1, Game 2 — we’re not gonna come out, could we come out blazing? Yeah, who knows,” Brown told the New York Post. “We’re gonna have our highs. We’re gonna have our lows. Can’t get too high if it’s going good. Can’t get too low if it’s not.
“We gotta stay even-keeled and know that this is a marathon and not a sprint, at the end of the day.”
The New York Knicks will begin the regular season on Wednesday night when they host the Cleveland Cavaliers.
