When the New York Knicks traded for Karl-Anthony Towns and Mikal Bridges before the season, they hoped the move would elevate their ceiling to championship level. Through 32 games, the Knicks have put together one of their most successful seasons in many years. They’ve managed their best net rating (plus-9.2) and offensive rating (122.5) over the last two decades.
New York isn’t without flaws, notably on the defensive end, and Towns and Bridges contribute to those limitations. But they’ve helped vault the Knicks’ ceiling, especially Towns, to new heights amidst one of his best offensive seasons yet. He’s tallying 24.5 points, 13.5 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game all while scorching from the field, posting career highs in true shooting (66.0 percent) and 3-point efficiency (44.7 percent).
Towns’ Offensive Versatility Is Crucial
As per usual, Towns is a scoring dynamo. He’s taken full advantage of his newfound offensive ecosystem. He’s never played alongside a lead guard with Jalen Brunson’s passing capabilities or complementary wings like he currently enjoys. That’s fueled his incredible efficiency from deep and from mid-range (50 percent).
Scoring on the roll has been Towns’ most frequent play type this season, coming at a 17.3 percent frequency (1.3 points per possession). Last season in Minnesota, his roll man frequency was a lowly 8.6 percent. While Towns hasn’t finished at a spectacular clip (62.7 percent within 5 feet), he’s an excellent driver from faceup and post-up spots.
karl anthony towns is a monsterous faceup driver. one of the best blends of power, explosiveness and shooting touch we have in the NBA today pic.twitter.com/wHmK8I9A4u
— ben pfeifer (@bjpf_) December 29, 2024
Towns has always been a skilled facilitator with particular passing tendencies that New York has maximized more than any Minnesota team ever did. He’s not a great passer from his own self-creation, struggling to toggle between scoring and playmaking modes. Towns passes on just 15.7 percent of his drives, the second-lowest of any high-volume drivers (minimum seven attempts per game).
He sees the floor more clearly at a standstill, scanning from the top of the key or out of the post. Passing from a standstill has allowed Towns to pick defenses apart with accurate fastballs to cutters and shooters. That playmaking has opened up options for Bridges, who excels as a cutter and in the midrange. He’s Towns’ second-most common assist target behind OG Anunoby.
karl-anthony towns is having a hell of a playmaking season. he’s especially deadly from the top of the key where he can survey and hit cutters/shooters with his elite accuracy and velocity
stresses the defense so much as a scorer, defenses have to sell out pic.twitter.com/IFKEoB9QmO
— ben pfeifer (@bjpf_) December 27, 2024
Bridges Is A Midrange Maestro
Bridges spent the first segment of his career as a low-usage, defensively oriented wing with the Phoenix Suns next to other ball-handlers. He transitioned to an on-ball creator role in Brooklyn, leading to a stark dip in his scoring efficiency and defensive efforts. Bridges scores via assists 13.3 percent more often than last season, helping find easy looks all over the court.
His 3-point percentage is bouncing back, up to 36.7 percent on the season. He’s white-hot shooting in the corners, shooting 48.1 percent on a league-leading 3.3 attempts per game. One of the NBA’s truly elite midrange shotmakers, Bridges has made 54.2 percent of his jumpers within the arc.
We shouldn’t overlook the artistry in Bridges’ off-ball movement. It’s a skill to bob and weave without the basketball and Bridges mastered this long ago. With plenty of purposeful moving and freelance cutting, especially off of Towns as a hub, easy shots come aplenty. Just 21.5 percent of his shots in the restricted area are unassisted (15th percentile) where he finishes an elite 81.3 percent.
But the midrange is Bridges’ feature weapon, which he accesses with ease. Without having to create all of his own jumpers, he can expend more energy on the shots themselves. He leans into that touch to compensate for some of his limitations as a power finisher and foul drawer.
more off-ball movement and assisted buckets have unlocked mikal bridges’ mid-range shotmaking. the high release, touch and size make it nearly impossible to guard. his offense has been massive for the knicks so far pic.twitter.com/guFyH6T1zM
— ben pfeifer (@bjpf_) December 29, 2024
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New York has extracted tons of value out of Towns and Bridges, removing two offensive talents from suboptimal situations. They synergize with each other and the rest of the Knicks’ offensive pieces more than they have in quite some time.
Since Brunson’s arrival in New York, the Knicks haven’t rostered an offensive player quite like Towns. He desperately needed a sidekick who could create and spell him, and thrive without the ball. It comes at the cost of reduced defensive bite, but the NBA is an offensive league. With multiple elite offensive focal points and complementary pieces, the Knicks look primed to carry this success deep into the postseason.
