Knicks' Tom Thibodeau Compares Karl-Anthony Towns To Former Star

Karl-Anthony Towns is one of the top centers in the NBA today. Julius Randle is one of the best stretch forwards in the game.

Both players have their strengths and weaknesses.

But in the end, the New York Knicks knew they needed a specific player on their roster heading into the 2024 season. It's why the organization sent Randle to Minnesota in the deal for Towns in the first place.

New York and head coach Tom Thibodeau hope some of the strengths from Randle will be easily transferable to Towns once he gets fully acclimated to the roster.

“I think they’re different players in some ways, but similar in others," Thibodeau said. “I think Julius is more of a power forward, but a terrific player. When you look at what he did for us, the scoring, the passing, rebounding, but it’s at the power forward position.”

Towns has done all of that during his days in Minnesota. His work helped the Timberwolves reach the conference finals for the first time since 2004.

It also showed New York that Towns could sacrifice for the greater good of the team if needed.

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“He sacrificed a lot (in Minnesota). I think he understands the concept of winning," Thibodeau explained. "They had a great season last year and I thought he played at a very high level both offensively and defensively."

If Towns can produce at a high level, it will forever change New York's entire gameplan on both sides of the court. It also just might be enough to overcome the defending champion Boston Celtics in the east as well.