The New York Knicks are still one of the best teams in the league, but they do have problems with the current system. Many people have pointed out that Karl-Anthony Towns is a positive on offense, but he does struggle on defense.
Given the Knicks’ strong defenders throughout the roster, Towns is a glaring weakness for New York. Former All-NBA forward Blake Griffin thinks this is a problem for the Knicks, as other teams might exploit it moving forward.
Griffin is worried about the Knicks’ defense with Towns
During the Knicks’ latest game against the Detroit Pistons, it was clear that J.B. Bickerstaff told his players to target Towns. It has been a long time coming for the Knicks, as everyone knows it is an issue with their defense.
Towns can be impactful on defense, but sometimes, he is not putting in the effort he needs to. Everyone knows that he is the weak link in the Knicks’ defense, but he could bounce back by playing with more effort.
The Knicks are a great team, but they have to shore up a lot of their issues to compete against the best of the best. Considering the Pistons are the number one seed in the Eastern Conference, the Knicks’ performance is a bit discouraging.
“Defense is all about habits, it’s about showing up early, and not scrambling late. It feels like so many plays from Karl-Anthony Towns, seems like he’s just a step behind,” Griffin said during the Prime Video NBA halftime show.
“This isn’t about ragging on KAT, he’s a great player, he has the tools, but the NBA is better when the Knicks are contending for a championship. They cannot win a championship with that type of defensive effort.”
Griffin wants Towns to put in more of an effort because he has the talent to do so. Unfortunately, that is not happening at the moment. Towns is a talented player, but his defense can be much better if he puts in the work.
