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Kendrick Perkins believes one New York Knicks star is facing the same predicament as Luka Doncic and must silence his critics.
The Knicks are hoping to capitalize on the weakened state of the Eastern Conference. After key injuries struck the Indiana Pacers, Milwaukee Bucks, and Boston Celtics, the Knicks are now the favorites to reach the NBA Finals.
After the Knicks fired Tom Thibodeau in June, the franchise decided to go in a new direction. In his place, they hired Mike Brown as their next head coach.
Brown is going to get his chance to lead the Knicks and rely on his experience to bring them their first championship in decades.
In order to succeed, Brown will depend on Karl-Anthony Towns and Jalen Brunson. Perkins believes Karl-Anthony Towns needs to prove his critics wrong.
Kendrick Perkins says Karl-Anthony Towns must improve defensively
Kendrick Perkins spoke on NBA Today about players under pressure to deliver. He named New York Knicks star Karl-Anthony Towns as the player who must prove himself the most next season.
He believes that, much like Luka Doncic, Towns hasn’t taken care of himself and focused on defense. Heading into a new season, Towns needs to show he can be an elite player on both ends of the floor.
“When you talk about players, which players are under the most pressure to deliver? That’s Karl-Anthony Towns, like it’s time for him to deliver,” Perkins said.
“It’s been a lot of criticism when it comes down to Luka Doncic and what he did defensively, and being in shape. Well, KAT falls in that category.
“KAT is a walking bucket. He’s one of one. Arguably the best shooting bigs we’ve ever seen. He’s really, really skilled, but that’s not what he needs to correct.
“He needs to correct his ability to get up and down the floor, be able to slide those puppies because he was getting cooked in the big role.”
Karl-Anthony Towns must be more defensively reliable
Karl-Anthony Towns is one of the greatest shooting big men of all time, but the Knicks star hasn’t been able to use his size to perform well defensively.
Towns is often caught napping on the defensive end, failing to stay with his man and contest shots at the rim when his team needs him.
This was evident last season when he was playing at center for the Knicks, and given Mitchell Robinson’s extensive injury issues, he will have to play that role quite frequently next season.
For a player like Towns, unlocking his defensive potential is key to him becoming a well-rounded player.
If KAT can become at least adequate at playing defense, then the Knicks will be one of the most powerful teams in the NBA next season.
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