The discourse around Karl-Anthony Towns is growing during his Knicks tenure.
The New York Knicks trade for Karl-Anthony Towns right before preseason tipped off was quite questionable, as they sent Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo to the Minnesota Timberwolves. The trade is seemingly paying off for them, but not so much for the Timberwolves.
The Knicks are currently the No. 4 seed in the Eastern Conference with both Jalen Brunson and Towns thriving within their system offensively. They’ve had no issues on that end, but rather defensively.
While they are still figuring things out on the court, Towns is looking like the best version of himself since putting on a Knicks jersey. New York is 15-10 on the season as they are looking to establish themselves as a contender. In the meantime, plenty are singing the praises of Towns.
Towns happens to now play for one of the most popular basketball clubs the world has to offer, and he does so in a fashion that is quite entertaining for fans. He’s a 7-footer with an outside jump shot while holding some skills most expect guards and wings to have.
Given the amount of skill he has, popular rapper “Fat Joe” weighed in, claiming that Towns is the best offensive center ever, naming him over Denver Nuggets superstar Nikola Jokic and two legends in Shaquille O’Neal and Hakeem Olajuwon, doing so on the “7PM in Brooklyn” podcast.
“I don’t think I’ve seen a better offensive big man, in my life, than KAT,” Fat Joe said. “I’ve sat in games and watched KAT do ten moves. You can not know what he’s going to give you. Hit ’em with the left, hit ’em with the right, spin this way, on you, this way, that way.
“That’s impossible to guard. He’s dumb. …I’m talking about Olajuwon, Shaq is the most dominant big man, but he ain’t doing [that]. My take on it is he’s too hard to guard. …[Jokic] is just more accomplished. I’m a Joker fan, too.”
Fat Joe certainly has a spicy take on the matter. Is Towns the best shooting big man? Sure. But to claim the best offensively is bold, especially when mentioning Jokic in the same regard. Carmelo Anthony put it best in the conversation — Towns might be one of the most versatile big men in the league.
While it’s completely a subjective matter, both Towns and Jokic are incredible talents in their own regard. Towns is versatile and his bag of skills runs deep. However, Jokic might be one of the most unique, unorthodox talents in the league. He’s still incredibly skilled.
A player’s offense runs deeper than a scoring bag, too. Jokic is averaging the most points of his career, but it’s his passing ability that really carries some weight when talking about his offensive game. He clears Towns as a passer.
Scoring averages are hard to compare, too, because Jokic has the offense running through him, whereas Towns is playing in a system with Brunson and other high-level players having heavy doses of touches.
Again, it’s a subjective debate, and really up to what each individual weighs when talking about the best offensive player at a certain position. Both are unique, exciting 7-footers in the NBA, however, and that alone is exciting to watch.
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