Since his arrival with the New York Knicks a little over a year ago, Karl-Anthony Towns has continued his run of being one of the top centers in the NBA.
However, to begin the 2025-26 season, the big man has been dealing with a lingering quad injury, and heading into the Knicks’ opener against the Cleveland Cavaliers, Towns’ status went from doubtful to questionable to probable. He ended up suiting up, finishing with 19 points and 12 rebounds in 31 minutes in New York’s eight-point win.
Still, speaking after the game, Towns said it wasn’t an easy task playing with the injury, especially after his limited action in the preseason. Regardless, the five-time All-Star said he didn’t want to disappoint the fans on opening night.
“I’ve been banged up, and I really haven’t gotten a chance to practice or play in the last two preseason games,” Towns said after the win. “I didn’t want to disappoint the fans. It’s not something that’s easy to deal with, [but] we made it happen tonight.”
The Towns’ quad issue was originally reported less than a week before the Knicks’ first game of the season. While his status was unknown heading into the potential playoff matchup preview against Cleveland, he was one of five New York players to score at least 15 points, Jalen Brunson (23), OG Anunoby (24), Mikal Bridges (16), and Miles McBride (15) being the others.
Karl-Anthony Towns Injury
While Towns was unsure if he would play on Wednesday, New York had already confirmed they would be without both Josh Hart and Mitchell Robinson for the season opener. While Hart is recovering from a minor back injury and Robinson was reportedly out due to rest, the Knicks have offered little information about Towns’ status going forward.
Additionally, Towns himself kept quiet when asked about his availability for New York’s next game against the rival Boston Celtics.
“When asked if he was in pain while playing, Towns said: “It was hurting, for sure.” He didn’t let on whether it would affect his availability for Friday’s game against the Boston Celtics,” Vincent Goodwill wrote for ESPN.
It is unknown if Hart and Robinson will be back, and if their absences are compounded by Towns being out, that could be a bad sign for the Knicks starting a season in which they expect to compete for a championship.
Towns was impactful despite playing through the quad injury. While he likely wouldn’t be considered to have a ‘standout’ performance, he had the second-most rebounds in the game, went 8/9 from the free-throw line, and kept the Cleveland big men of Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen relatively quiet.
Mike Brown On Depth, First Win
While the Towns injury potentially sidelines him with New York’s other key players currently out, the issue might not spell as much bad news as it would have in the Tom Thibodeau era. Now with new head coach Mike Brown, the Knicks made a point this summer to add depth to both spread the floor on offense and take many of the isolation scoring responsibilities out of Brunson’s hands.
In his first game coaching the team, Brown had ten players play at least ten minutes, many of whom saw little action under the Thibodeau-style offense. After the game, Brown said the depth of the Knicks will benefit them as the season goes on.
“This team is a deep team,” Brown said. “I can learn on the fly because we have a lot of guys that can play. I don’t know if I’ll play 11 guys every night, but we like to play as many as we can.”
Multiple Knicks players had questioned both the team’s decision to fire Thibodeau, as well as wondering how Brown would implement a style of offense that would work for the roster. While New York did walk away with the win against Cleveland, Brown said they have a long way to go to reach their peak.
“Our expectations are extremely high. Whether we won or lost, it’s one game,” Brown added. “We don’t feel like we’re anywhere near what we’re capable of, and that’s what makes it exciting.”
Both the Knicks and Cavaliers had injuries in the season opener (Cavs were without Darius Garland, De’Andre Hunter, and Max Strus), but the two franchises expect to be at the top of the East when the regular season comes to a close.
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