INDIANAPOLIS — When Karl-Anthony Towns played for the Timberwolves, Jalen Brunson was aware of his reputation. Now as fellow Knicks players, Brunson feels he is witnessing the truth.
Rather than a player who is soft, he has seen one who constantly has fought through injuries.
“I mean, there are narratives with traded players on other teams,” Brunson noted Saturday morning at the Knicks shootaround prior to Game 6. “And when you join the team, it’s, ‘Oh, that guy is not really like that.’ It’s just, that’s how narratives function. They’re usually probably incorrect. I have the utmost respect for him and the way he’s been able to play throughout this entire season and playoffs. We’re all dealing with injuries, but we’re all going to push through. I had faith that he was going to play last game.”
Towns was questionable for Game 5 with a knee injury, but he played 36 minutes and recorded 24 points on 10-for-20 shooting and 13 rebounds.
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He was not on the Knicks injury report entering Saturday’s Game 6.
Towns, whom the Knicks acquired from the Timberwolves in the significant trade deal that saw Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo head to Minnesota, was recognized on the All-NBA third team this year.
But due to his preference to shoot from outside the arc rather than bang bodies in the paint and his weak defense, a narrative that Towns is soft has hovered over him much of his career.
Brunson isn’t buying it.
“I knew that he was a player that was gonna help us win,” Brunson said. “He’s helped us get to this point. And so I think no matter what the situation is, he’s gonna continue to do that.”
