KAT's Mental Strength in Question?

New York is the city of dreams, but not all people get to realize those visions. ... for as many people who come in with heads held high and hearts full of ambition, many of those optimists get spit out by the harsh reality of the Empire State.

Having said that: Can home-town guy Karl-Anthony Towns overcome the pressures of playing for the New York Knicks and the polarizing media in the city?

Tim Legler, an ESPN and All-NBA analyst, asked a simple question on the All-NBA podcast regarding Towns' mental capacity for the demanding city of New York and the Knicks. “Is he built for it or not?" Legler asked on the All-NBA podcast. .

For all his positive moments with the Minnesota Timberwolves, Towns had some down times, too. The only seasons they made the playoffs occurred when Towns - long their best player - took a backseat. However, even as the passenger-side star, Towns struggled when it mattered most in the Western Conference Finals against the Dallas Mavericks.

Towns finished as a net-negative three of the five games in the Western Conference Finals. Moreover, as the self-proclaimed "best shooting big in NBA history," the All-Star converted an abysmal 24 percent from behind the 3-point line.

Conversely, one could also say he's stronger than most people imagine.

Towns fought a life-shattering adversity that puts basketball in perspective. In 2020, Towns lost five family members, including his mother, due to COVID-19. So in that sense, to question his capacity to handle mental pressures seems like a slap in the face of a person who legitimately faced challenges that could take some people into a sad, dark place.

Related: Could Jalen Brunson Become 'Greatest Knick Ever'?

However, regarding basketball only? Legler's question isn't off-base, as Towns looks to establish that the mental strength he has displayed in life is about to translate to big-time success now that he's back in New York.