The move to send Karl-Anthony Towns to the New York Knicks has been a devastating one for the Minnesota Timberwolves.
While the Minnesota Timberwolves landed two players in return, Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo, the impact Karl-Anthony Towns had was greater than the sum of their parts.
Towns has been playing at a MVP contending level this season for the New York Knicks, and he has been missed in recent games, with the Eastern Conference team losing three straight games.
On January 8, Towns returned to action for the Knicks with a 27-13-2 performance, and most importantly, contributed to a win.
Karl-Anthony Towns’ return for the New York Knicks helped them to their 112-98 victory against the Toronto Raptors.
His double-double was a key part of their victory – but the point made after the win was how Towns makes his teammates better.
Former Knicks star Wally Szczerbiak told MSG Network: “You see how important Karl-Anthony Towns is to this team. The Knicks are lacking at the center position. That’s why they went to go make that move.
“When he’s out there on the floor, everyone’s roles fit perfectly into place. OG Anunoby gets a lot of good looks at the basket. Josh Hart gets the looks he can he can take advantage of.”
And this is what the Minnesota Timberwolves have been lacking. The T-Wolves have talent, Anthony Edwards is one of the most exciting players in the NBA.
But he has expressed frustration at being double-teamed, while two ex-stars asked this week if the team need to trade Rudy Gobert away to bring in more creative line-ups to space the floor better.
The conclusion is quite clear, that the Timberwolves are lacking the impact Towns brings, who made every player around him better last season, that the Knicks are currently benefitting from.
The New York Knicks have an established starting five, with Karl-Anthony Towns, Jalen Brunson, OG Anunoby, Mikal Bridges and Josh Hart.
Four of those players have remarkably hit 40+ points in a game this season, and their front office deserves credit for constructing a strong team.
They have been criticized by both Stephen A. Smith and Paul Pierce for being too reliant on their starting five – but they at least know who their preferred line-up is.
Donte DiVincenzo has admitted the Timberwolves players ‘never’ know the starting line-up this season, which speaks volumes to the lack of chemistry we have witnessed through 2024-25 so far.
That’s what happens when you rip out a huge part of the team, while in New York, Towns has become the glue that holds Tom Thibodeau’s unit together.
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