Karl-Anthony Towns called his own shot — in order to get better shots for those around him.
There has been so much written and said about the change the Knicks made with Towns, and the decision to play their offense through him as a facilitator from the elbows.
It has been a central storyline of their unprecedented dominance through the first two rounds.
But how was that decision reached?
Towns claimed that when the Knicks trailed 2-1 in the first round against the Hawks, he went to the coaching staff and vouched for the change.
“You’re down 2-1, obviously it’s not the end of the world but you guys understand the importance of the next game. … You go in there and say how you feel, your feelings, your idea and see if it’s received,” Towns said after practice Friday. “And it was received.”
It certainly has been.
And across the two years of this core and the one year under coach Mike Brown, it’s unlocked the best version of these Knicks.
Towns has more than doubled his regular-season average of 3.0 assists per game to 6.6 in the postseason.
It’s allowed those around him — notably Jalen Brunson — to be cutters and screeners off the ball, resulting in better shot quality for them.
It’s made the Knicks offense much more dynamic.
The Knicks have won seven straight postseason games since then.
They have a point differential of plus-185 points in that span.
Their 125.3 points per game on offense is the most among playoff teams.
Towns, from the preseason through the entirety of the regular season, was not shy about his thoughts on his role in the offense.
There were constant statements about getting used to Brown’s system and trying to adjust to what Brown wants him to do.
There were a few times he struggled to find answers as to why he was so uninvolved.
It was clear that Towns wanted more, but he kept pointing to the need to sacrifice for the greater good.
Now, the greater good has been found with Towns as a focal point.
“I’ve always loved this role,” Towns said of being a facilitator. “I’ve always wanted this role, so [I’m] happy we got to this point.”
Does he feel vindicated at all?
“I’ve always said since the beginning, I’ll do whatever it takes to impact winning,” Towns said. “I’m glad I’ve been able to do that with this changing role and be able to help our team win. That’s the most important thing. And utilize my talent.”
The Post previously reported that assistant coach and offensive coordinator Chris Jent also played a role in bringing the idea to Brown.
“You can’t act upon everything,” Brown said Friday. “Because if you act upon everything, you’re going to be driving yourself crazy and everybody else crazy. It was just something where we were struggling to score [at the time] and I had been thinking about it for awhile and it finally came to me at that point. … I take suggestions from everybody. At the end of the day, it’s up to me to make the decision of yea or nay. The tough part about it is, sometimes when you have suggestions, and there are a lot of good ones out there, a suggestion is one thing, but trying to actually put the suggestion into something that can be real for the group and fit the group, not just that one person, that’s the tricky part.
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“I’ve always been a guy that if you come to me with a suggestion, a lot of times, especially as a coach, you gotta have something to back it up. Some video, some analytics. Tell me how.”
That last part is important.
They were small sample sizes, but the Knicks had seen evidence that having the ball in Towns’ hands as a facilitator worked.
“Using KAT sometimes at the end of the [shot] clock, we started using him more [in that role],” Miles McBride said Friday. “And then we kind of naturally started getting into it. Obviously, our coaches are taking notice. It’s kind of what we’ve been doing all year, but I think the more it started happening when, at the end of the clock, guys were [playing] off of him and then we started using it, guys playing off the ball, and then we kind of just started making it a point of emphasis.
“I felt like it was something [Towns] was always capable of.”
A few factors came together at the perfect time to produce the change that has the Knicks surging.
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