Karl-Anthony Towns put in a strong defensive performance to help the New York Knicks beat the Denver Nuggets.
After blunting the threat of Nikola Jokic when on the Minnesota Timberwolves last season, Karl-Anthony Towns issued a reminder of his defensive resilience on January 29.
Towns helped to shut down reigning MVP Nikola Jokic, who scored only 17 points as the Knicks won 122-112.
Yet Towns’ defense-first approach was heavily criticized by former Defensive Player of the Year Draymond Green, who accused him of selling out his own game to focus on stopping Jokic.
It has created a debate that everyone is weighing in on.
Karl-Anthony Towns scored only 14 points, below his season average of 24.6 points. He will see this as a worthy trade-off, for limiting Jokic to 17, below his average of 27.
Speaking to Run It Back, former NBA champion Danny Green pointed out that Towns was likely just following the instructions of New York Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau, “I’m sure this wasn’t KAT’s idea, this may have been Thibs’ idea.”
He also pointed out that Nikola Jokic is an extraordinary player, and Towns’ approach was vindicated by the Knicks’ win.
“This guy is not a regular player. He is the LeBron of big men, going for his fourth MVP.
“It’s kind of contradictory. They won the game, he did what he’s supposed to do, and this formula won the game. So ultimately could help them win a championship.
“KAT put his pride aside. It did work. They got the job done, KAT got the job done, other teams may use it going forward.”
Another former NBA star, Lou Williams, added his backing for Karl-Anthony Towns, and had a message for Warriors veteran Draymond Green.
Lou Williams: “He came away with the win and held Jokic to 17-6-6. KAT wins the battle. Guess what Draymond, be prepared to see more of this from other teams.”
“KAT was out there just trying to do a job. If you see him out there getting 30-20-18 and he’s coming your way, you going to do anything you can to minimize him.
“And it worked, it worked. This is a bad case right here Dray.”
One date in the schedule to look out for is March 5, when Towns’ Knicks meet Draymond’s Warriors.
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