Knicks Center Addresses Defensive Standard

New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns is going to be adjusting a lot in his first season with his new team.

After playing the past two seasons as a power forward next to Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert, Towns is going to be playing a once familiar role as the center of the Knicks this season.

Towns spoke with the media recently about returning to the center position and how his role will change defensively.

“It’s just accepting the responsibility of being the person who’s quarterbacking and anchoring the defense," Towns said h/t Posting and Toasting. “We’ve got amazing wings as everyone knows with OG [Anunoby], Mikal [Bridges], Josh [Hart], and Jalen [Brunson] really doing a great job of putting pressure on ball handlers, as well. That’s gonna give us the wins, and we have a lot of goals in mind."

Last season, the Knicks had one of the better defenses in the NBA, and Isaiah Hartenstein was a big part of their success. Hartenstein signed a three-year, $87 million deal with the Oklahoma City Thunder over the offseason, which means that Towns will have big shoes to fill. He is aware of how important his defensive presence will be in order to get the team to where it needs to be.

“For us to even come close to accomplishing that, it takes us to solidify the defense, our defensive game plan, and identity. Doing that here again is gonna be a key for us to do something special in the city," Towns said.

There will likely be some growing pains when it comes to Towns and his role in the defense. However, the Knicks felt confident that he could deliver in the role when they traded for him a few weeks ago.

The Knicks will play one final preseason game against the Washington Wizards on Friday.