Knicks Players, Coaches Were Frustrated With One Big Issue Around Karl-Anthony Towns

The New York Knicks were eliminated from the NBA playoffs by the Indiana Pacers on Saturday night. A few hours later, a new report from The Athletic revealed internal frustration around one particular shortcoming of Karl-Anthony Towns.

Shortly after Game 6's 125-108 defeat, James L. Edwards III and Fred Katz reported Knicks players and coaches "expressed frustration" with KAT's defensive shortcomings. Specifically they were frustrated with the center's poor defensive habits and worried he didn't get how important it was to stay connected on that end of the floor.

"Publicly, Knicks players made veiled comments all season about poor communication causing their inconsistencies," Edwards and Katz wrote. "Behind the scenes, they and coaches expressed frustration with Towns’ defensive habits — less concerned with his talent level and more with his process on that end. Too often, Towns executed incorrect coverages without communicating why he did it. After it became a theme, players worried Towns didn’t grasp the importance of the matter."

Defense has long been an issue for Towns. His incredible offensive skillset for a big man is offset more often than not by his lack of awareness and overall failure to get stops defensively. And at this point it is a feature, not a bug, of his game.

The Knicks accepted the risk when they traded for Towns on the eve of training camp. The acquisition clearly paid off to an extent as New York enjoyed its best season in many years in terms of both regular-season record and the postseason while playing some of the best offensive basketball in the league. But, clearly, Towns's failure to put it together defensively frustrated his teammates and coaches.

Ultimately it played a role in New York's playoff elimination. KAT's defense will be a big talking point as a long offseason gets underway at Madison Square Garden.