KARL-ANTHONY Towns

Last season, in 2025-26, Towns played 75 games for the Knicks and averaged 31.0 minutes. He put up 20.1 points, 11.9 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game, with 0.9 steals and 0.5 blocks. He shot 50.1 percent from the field, 36.8 percent from three and 85.8 percent from the line. His true shooting percentage was 61.9 on a 25.1 usage rate. His plus-minus was 5.0 per game. Those are the numbers of a high-efficiency big who carries a real scoring load without forcing shots. The turnovers, at 2.5 per game, are the one soft spot in the line. For a center who handles the ball as much as Towns does, that figure is not alarming, but it is worth watching this year.

Towns' last five games show a player ramping up. On October 5 against Philadelphia he had 5 points and 5 rebounds in 14.8 minutes in a loss. On October 8 against Washington he had 8 points and 7 rebounds in 18.8 minutes, another loss. On October 12 against Minnesota he scored 11 points with 2 rebounds and 4 assists in 21.7 minutes. The Knicks lost that one too. Then came the rest day and the clearance. On October 15 against Toronto he went for 13 points, 15 rebounds and 9 assists in 28.9 minutes, and the Knicks won. On October 20 against Philadelphia he had 19 points and 12 rebounds in 23.6 minutes in a loss. The minutes have climbed steadily, and so has the scoring.

The contract is the story. On October 5, James L. Edwards reported that Towns was frustrated by the state of extension talks with the Knicks. On October 11, Edwards reported that Towns was very disappointed by the Knicks pausing those talks. Nothing has been signed, and nothing has been announced. Two reports in six days from the same reporter, both describing an unhappy player, suggest the sides are not close. Kristian Winfield's October 13 Knicks notes touched on the second apron, which is the kind of constraint that tends to slow down big-money decisions. None of this means Towns is going anywhere. It means the front office and the player are not on the same page about timing, and Towns has let that be known.

Before the summer, Towns closed last season with a playoff series against San Antonio. On June 3 he had 18 points and 12 rebounds in 34.4 minutes in a win. On June 5 he had 21 points, 13 rebounds and 4 assists in 33.9 minutes in another win. On June 8 the Knicks lost, with Towns at 11 points and 8 rebounds in 38.0 minutes. On June 10 he had 13 points and 10 rebounds in 25.7 minutes in a win. On June 13 he had 2 points and 10 rebounds in 22.7 minutes as the Knicks won again. That is four wins in five games against the Spurs with Towns rebounding in double figures in all five. The scoring faded late in the series, but the glass work never did.

Three things matter for Towns over the next few weeks. First, the minutes. He played 23.6 minutes against Philadelphia on October 20 and 28.9 against Toronto on October 15. Last season he averaged 31.0. Expect the Knicks to keep pushing that number up as the schedule settles in. Second, the extension. Any new report from Edwards or Winfield on talks resuming would change the mood around the team quickly. Third, the frontcourt rotation. Winfield's notes from October 13 and October 17 referenced a third center and Drummond, which speaks to how the Knicks plan to manage Towns' workload behind him. He is healthy, he is producing, and he is waiting on a contract.