Breaking: Someone actually wants to play for the New York Knicks!
Sure, that someone also longs to just play at the NBA level in general, but still, the Knicks’ll take it. And if they win the draft lottery, they’ll end up taking him—him being Kentucky’s Karl-Anthony Towns.
Speaking on the life transition to come, Towns bestowed plaudits upon the Knicks and Phil Jackson, expressing a measured desire to play in the Big Apple, per the New York Post‘s Marc Berman:
Towns, who flew in from Lexington, Ky., to appear at his high school in Metuchen, N.J., Sunday at a signing event to raise money for St. Joseph’s, told The Post how much he admires the Zen Master, who watched one of Kentucky’s practices in Lexington on Feb. 27.
“It’s his presence,’’ Towns told The Post. “What he means to me, his presence is just amazing. What was so awesome as a coach, he made every player better and put them in the best position to succeed. He’s just so smart and intelligent and has so much experience. He knows how to win. At the end of the day, what every player wants to do is win. If I have the opportunity to ever play for the Knicks, that’s what I would love to do.’’
Woohoo! The Knicks can rest easy. They’re not some afterthought, or some lifeless gob in the eyes of outsiders, or irrelevant at all.
Caveat incoming: Towns is also smitten by the idea of playing NBA basketball, irrespective of which team he represents.
From Berman:
He chuckled when asked if he hopes the ping-pong balls go the Knicks’ way.
“A lot of my friends ask me that,’’ Towns said. “I say the same thing: Wherever the chips fall, the chips fall. I’m just happy to have the opportunity to join the elite group of players in the NBA.’’
Don’t let that ruin your day entirely. It’s still good that Towns would be happy to play for the Knicks. But let’s not pretend this is a kid who has eyes only for them.
The Knicks, however, will have eyes only for him if they win the lottery. At least they should only have eyes for him. He is incredibly versatile, packs a mean defensive punch that should translate into the NBA nicely and has a sky’s-the-limit ceiling on the offensive end, one that includes him operating inside the post and, inevitably, beyond the three-point line.
Indeed, projecting draft picks is a crapshoot. There’s no guaranteeing how prospects will fare, especially as rookies on a team like the Knicks that’s trying to balance rebuilding with returning to relevancy now. But Towns holds more two-way clout than anyone in his class, and though Jahlil Okafor might make more of an immediate impact, it’s Towns who figures to be the better pro long term.
