Though he might not be performing at the same level as superstar Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns has had a strong run over the past few games for the New York Knicks. It was a difficult start to the season for the center, as he’s dealt with multiple health concerns, but most recently, Towns has put in three straight games with at least 20 points, then rebounds, and four assists.
However, amid this strong run the big man has been on for New York, it doesn’t overshadow the injuries Towns has been dealing with. In just about every single Knicks game, the center has been ‘questionable‘ or ‘day to day’, and now, his status for the team’s next game against the Minnesota Timberwolves is uncertain.
“Towns (illness) is questionable for Wednesday’s game against Minnesota,” RotoWire staff reported on his status. “Towns was added to the injury report overnight, presumably after waking up under the weather. There’s a good chance he warms up before a decision is made on his status, as it will take a lot to keep Towns out of the lineup.”
As they mentioned, Towns has been eager to play this season, despite the health woes. He, along with Brunson, Mikal Bridges, and OG Anunoby, are the only Knicks players to start and play in each of their seven games, but the center has been fighting off more injuries than the rest combined.
Towns’ Uncertain Status In The First Two Weeks Of The Season
The latest illness by Towns is perhaps less worrisome than the quad injury he has been playing with to begin the year. During training camp, he suffered a grade two quadricep strain, and that has been following him through the first two weeks of the season.
Speaking after the Knicks’ opening night game, Towns said the injury was affecting him, but he wanted to play for the fans.
“I‘ve been banged up, and I really haven’t gotten a chance to practice or play in the last two preseason games,” he said on October 23. “I didn’t want to disappoint the fans. It’s not something that’s easy to deal with, [but] we made it happen tonight…It was hurting, for sure.”
Since then, Towns has played in every game, but with a decent spread in the types of numbers he was putting up. While recently, the big man seems more comfortable playing with the injury, his statistics look more similar to those of last season, which doesn’t negate some of the other weaker games. Most notable of that was an eight-point, 12-rebound game on 2/12 shooting against the Milwaukee Bucks.
“I didn’t do what we needed to do to win tonight, and that’s on me and I take full responsibility on that,” Towns said after the Bucks’ loss. “Accountability is something big in this locker room and I always will do that.”
However, the numbers recently have been stronger, and the Knicks have now won two games in a row. The illness isn’t a great sign for Towns’ chances at suiting up against his former team, but as seen through seven games, it is hard to predict that it will keep him out.
Knicks Need Their All-Star Center More Than Ever
While the early-season struggles for the Knicks have been hard to ignore, specifically on their offensive scheme, Towns has been barely to blame for the Knicks’ lack of a strong big man rotation, for the time being. As of now, New York has been without good showings from their backup bigs in the form of Mitchell Robinson and Guerschon Yabusele.
The former has only played in two games due to rest, and in those contests, he is averaging two points, eight rebounds, and a block. Most recently, Knicks’ new head coach Mike Brown said Robinson will be on a minutes restriction whenever he does return, not a good sign for a team that saw their most success with him in the starting lineup last season.
Yabusele has also been limited by injuries. The big-name free agent who signed with New York has played in only four games, with similar, but even less impactful averages compared to Robinson of 1.5 points and three rebounds on an average of just ten minutes per game.
The Knicks have a player like Anunoby who can guard post players, but New York needs Towns, Robinson, and Yabusele healthy and impactful if they want to reach anything close to their peak. Brown also has Ariel Hukporti, Pacome Dadiet, and Mohamed Diawara, but none of those young guys have played anything close to meaningful minutes yet.
Towns’ illness and quad injury could be a greater cause for concern, but so far, it hasn’t had the biggest impact on his play. Still, New York needs him and the other bigs healthy if they want to capitalize on their championship expectations.
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