Third straight season for Karl-Anthony Towns, where he will have to adjust to a different role. The new head coach has already taken a liking to KAT and has major plans for him. In the three preseason games so far, it was visible. But their 4th game produced a loss, as Mike Brown rested all his starters to explore the depth of other players. A blowout loss, 120-103 to the Wizards, inadvertently produced a learning experience for the coach and two key players going forward.

The Knicks decided to sit Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns, OG Anunoby, Mikal Bridges, Josh Hart, Ariel Hukporti, Mitchell Robinson, and Landry Shamet. Instead, Malcolm Brogdon, Deuce McBride, Jordan Clarkson, Pacome Dadiet, and Guerschon Yabusele went out as the starting five. Out of them, the French star impressed the coach a lot. Brown also thought free agent signing Yabusele, playing the majority of his minutes at center, was invaluable. And all this ties in with the role around Towns.

Speaking to the media after the game, the HC stated, “Yeah. So like I said before Guers and um and KAT moving them from the you know moving back and forth from the four and the five. It’s going to take them both some time, and we’ve been playing Guers at the four a little bit more than the five prior to tonight, but I thought it was a great opportunity for him to get a lot of uh time at the center position. And you know, it’s tough for him. And I thought, you know, he was thinking a little too much, which is going to happen, and it kind of brought his game to a halt in other areas.”

This appreciation means a lot, since Brown was not at all impressed with his side’s performance. Mikal Bridges’ early verdict on the Knicks HC was that he held players accountable for all decisions. And the coach’s post-game comments prove Bridges is absolutely right.”Man, I thought our starters did not bring the energy. You know, this is probably a worse, basketball game overall, and we did it in spurts.” Why is this important for Karl-Anthony Towns, who was not even playing?

Because KAT and Yabusele will have the most difficult jobs, Brown already stated he has plans for them to start at four or five. And the reason why it is difficult, that, as part of the Brown’s offense, spots one through four on the floor become interchangeable. And we already know, the responsibility on their captain, Jalen Brunson, will be reduced. So, Anthony Towns and Yabusele will have to be active on both ends of the floor. However, the stakes are lower for Yabusele, who was signed to provide a spark off the bench.

Looking ahead at the Knicks’ strategy of two Bigs around Karl-Anthony Towns

Speaking about the added responsibility, KAT was very clear and ready for it. “It’s a job, but I’m blessed that he’s trusted me with it.” It’s a familiar setting for Towns, who played alongside 4x DPOY Rudy Gobert during their time in Minnesota. And now there is no Gobert but Mitchell Robinson. He is expected to take over the Center spot in the starting five with KAT playing at four. The duo has started together in the first three Knicks preseason games, and Brown sounds like he plans to use them in the same frontcourt frequently this coming season.

“It just brings a different dimension,” the coach said Sunday. This ties to the short experiment from the previous season under Tom Thibodeau. During the Knicks’ run to the Eastern Conference finals. In 165 minutes, they produced a plus-4.4 NET rating, meaning the Knicks outscored the opposition by 4.4 points per 100 possessions when they shared the floor. The reason it was not an extended plan was because of Robinson’s health. The 27-year-old hasn’t played more than 59 games in each of the last three regular seasons.

Last season, he only logged 13, which forced the Knicks to balance his minutes, limit his availability on back-to-backs. But now for the new role, even Robinson altered his offseason workout plan, running hills to get into top condition. But injuries can creep up at any time. That’s why Karl-Anthony Towns and Guerschon will have to play at five at any given point in time. That’s why the two will require more understanding and more minutes to be more effective.