Knicks · [Game Thread] Knicks at Bucks 8PM NBA/Peacock (page 7)
VDesai wrote:Btw in some respect KAL is KAT and KAT is KAL now. KAT was a natural fit first half last year who made every shot. Kal was uncomfortable and bricked everything. They have swapped roles.Meanwhile Brunson can score in any system - and he isn't really hitting at a high rate from 3 yet.
Mikal thrives in this open court unselfish and always ready to leak out and get easy baskets system. KAT thrives when the offense is run through him. KAT is a perfect triangle offense type center. Well unfortunately for KAT, he has to change or adjust or he gets the boot. We / Brunsons prime doesn’t have time to wait. He better figure it out. Getting paid too much money not to.
blkexec wrote:VDesai wrote:Btw in some respect KAL is KAT and KAT is KAL now. KAT was a natural fit first half last year who made every shot. Kal was uncomfortable and bricked everything. They have swapped roles.Meanwhile Brunson can score in any system - and he isn't really hitting at a high rate from 3 yet.
Mikal thrives in this open court unselfish and always ready to leak out and get easy baskets system. KAT thrives when the offense is run through him. KAT is a perfect triangle offense type center. Well unfortunately for KAT, he has to change or adjust or he gets the boot. We / Brunsons prime doesn’t have time to wait. He better figure it out. Getting paid too much money not to.
I agree with all of this. KAT needs to change his approach and I think he will. The thing that I am concerned about is his propensity to commit stupid fouls. At this stage of his carreer he should be smarter than this.
Also, in offense, he is taking his 3s and just not hitting them right now. It will come.
But he is getting some really good looks from 3 and they have been trying to play more Brunson/KAT actions in the offense. Where he is not succeeding his playing post or thriving in situations where Brunson is off the floor. Very different than last year where KAT complete ATE teams in the 2nd quarter of games where he dominated against second units...so many instances of him buncching up 8-12 points in a 3-4 min span of play.
VDesai wrote:Btw in some respect KAL is KAT and KAT is KAL now. KAT was a natural fit first half last year who made every shot. Kal was uncomfortable and bricked everything. They have swapped roles.Meanwhile Brunson can score in any system - and he isn't really hitting at a high rate from 3 yet.
Yeah this is spot on
We're in year 10, and the same questions persist.
JONATHAN MACRI
OCT 29, 2025
∙ PAID
Good morning. We have the next two days off, so I’ll get into some of the nuts and bolts of last night and of the Knicks’ 2-2 start during the next two newsletters. Please get mailbag questions into Macri@knicksfilmschool.com. For today though, we have to talk about…
Game 4: Bucks 121, Knicks 111
I’m old enough to remember the last week of the 2014-15 season, which to this day is the only time in modern franchise history I can recall fans being furious at winning games.
With the 15-win Knicks shaping up to have the most lottery balls in the 2015 NBA Draft, late wins against the Magic and Hawks catapulted them up to second in the lottery order, one victory ahead of the Minnesota Timberwolves. When the Wolves won the draft lottery and the Knicks fell to fourth, fans were apoplectic.
This wasn’t a normal lottery, after all. It was a chance to draft a big man who couldn’t even be called “once in a generation” because no previous generation ever had a guy with his specific combination of talents and abilities.
And on that day, the Karl-Anthony Towns Paradox was born.
Gifted with guard skills in a 7-foot, 250-pound frame, there was nothing on a basketball court that KAT couldn’t do. He could shoot. He could handle. He could move with the ball. He had touch. He was too quick for bigs and, in theory, too big for smalls. That last part never got tested much early on, because back in the beginning of his career, NBA defenses weren’t yet audacious enough to guard Towns with far smaller players.
Gradually though, that began to change, and with it, so did the conversation.
The talk was no longer about surrounding Towns with a championship caliber roster, but was instead about finding a coach and a system that could fully unearth his potential.
In 2019, his increased outside shooting was supposed to unlock his game, but by 2021, the Wolves were still searching for the key.
The search continued in 2022 and 2023 until they decided that it was the Knicks turn to figure out the solution. Now a season later, another coach is giving it a shot.
Five coaches in nine years (I’m counting Thibs twice) tried and failed to fully “unlock” a guy whose mere presence was supposed to unlock easy offense for all of those around him, or at least that was the hope when he came into the league. Touted multiple times by rival GM’s as the player they’d most want to build their franchise around, Towns was supposed to be the skeleton key, not the guy who required one.
And yet here we are, now on coach number six, in year no. 10, and we’re still having the same conversations we’ve been having for the better part of a decade.
I do not have paid access for the rest of the article
NYKBocker wrote:blkexec wrote:VDesai wrote:Btw in some respect KAL is KAT and KAT is KAL now. KAT was a natural fit first half last year who made every shot. Kal was uncomfortable and bricked everything. They have swapped roles.Meanwhile Brunson can score in any system - and he isn't really hitting at a high rate from 3 yet.
Mikal thrives in this open court unselfish and always ready to leak out and get easy baskets system. KAT thrives when the offense is run through him. KAT is a perfect triangle offense type center. Well unfortunately for KAT, he has to change or adjust or he gets the boot. We / Brunsons prime doesn’t have time to wait. He better figure it out. Getting paid too much money not to.
I agree with all of this. KAT needs to change his approach and I think he will. The thing that I am concerned about is his propensity to commit stupid fouls. At this stage of his carreer he should be smarter than this.
Also, in offense, he is taking his 3s and just not hitting them right now. It will come.
I don't buy all the Kat is having trouble with the offense stuff - we are just watching him miss mostly wide open 3's he typically knocks down.
Again - think something else is on his mind.
VDesai wrote:Fouls are probably not gonna go away. He must lead the league in offensive fouls by a margin though I've honestly never seen that tracked.But he is getting some really good looks from 3 and they have been trying to play more Brunson/KAT actions in the offense. Where he is not succeeding his playing post or thriving in situations where Brunson is off the floor. Very different than last year where KAT complete ATE teams in the 2nd quarter of games where he dominated against second units...so many instances of him buncching up 8-12 points in a 3-4 min span of play.
Good chunk of his offensive fouls is because of those slow/methodical drives from almost 3 point land --- makes me wonder if part of the frustration for Kat is that Brown is trying to remove those drives from his bag. In turn Kat doesn't like being asked to change his drive game. I mean those drives are unproductive part of his game - mostly a net negative both in terms of charges but also missed shots and leaving us exposed on other end as Kat is lying in front row after falling to ground.
Rookie wrote:Definition of Insanity
We're in year 10, and the same questions persist.
JONATHAN MACRI
OCT 29, 2025
∙ PAID
Good morning. We have the next two days off, so I’ll get into some of the nuts and bolts of last night and of the Knicks’ 2-2 start during the next two newsletters. Please get mailbag questions into Macri@knicksfilmschool.com. For today though, we have to talk about…Game 4: Bucks 121, Knicks 111
I’m old enough to remember the last week of the 2014-15 season, which to this day is the only time in modern franchise history I can recall fans being furious at winning games.
With the 15-win Knicks shaping up to have the most lottery balls in the 2015 NBA Draft, late wins against the Magic and Hawks catapulted them up to second in the lottery order, one victory ahead of the Minnesota Timberwolves. When the Wolves won the draft lottery and the Knicks fell to fourth, fans were apoplectic.
This wasn’t a normal lottery, after all. It was a chance to draft a big man who couldn’t even be called “once in a generation” because no previous generation ever had a guy with his specific combination of talents and abilities.
And on that day, the Karl-Anthony Towns Paradox was born.
Gifted with guard skills in a 7-foot, 250-pound frame, there was nothing on a basketball court that KAT couldn’t do. He could shoot. He could handle. He could move with the ball. He had touch. He was too quick for bigs and, in theory, too big for smalls. That last part never got tested much early on, because back in the beginning of his career, NBA defenses weren’t yet audacious enough to guard Towns with far smaller players.
Gradually though, that began to change, and with it, so did the conversation.
The talk was no longer about surrounding Towns with a championship caliber roster, but was instead about finding a coach and a system that could fully unearth his potential.
In 2019, his increased outside shooting was supposed to unlock his game, but by 2021, the Wolves were still searching for the key.
The search continued in 2022 and 2023 until they decided that it was the Knicks turn to figure out the solution. Now a season later, another coach is giving it a shot.
Five coaches in nine years (I’m counting Thibs twice) tried and failed to fully “unlock” a guy whose mere presence was supposed to unlock easy offense for all of those around him, or at least that was the hope when he came into the league. Touted multiple times by rival GM’s as the player they’d most want to build their franchise around, Towns was supposed to be the skeleton key, not the guy who required one.
And yet here we are, now on coach number six, in year no. 10, and we’re still having the same conversations we’ve been having for the better part of a decade.
I do not have paid access for the rest of the article
IMO Macri is WAY OFF here - he makes point that Browns job was to fully unlock Kat.
Unlock what? Kat put up 25/12 on high efficiency last year and put those #s up while often being ignored and an afterthought in Thibs offense. He's just an elite talent that puts up #s every year.
Even now this year - Kat has had plenty of wide open 3s he's missed (not Browns fault) and his offensive game (3's, drives from perimeter, put backs, some post ups) looks exactly the same to me. What's missing - Kat's missing shots (that's the difference). His shot attempts are down a couple of shots off normal but he's shooting 35% from 2 and 33% from 3. Last year those #s were 53% and 42% (along his career norms). Kat's just missing shots and making dumb decisions with the ball.
LivingLegend wrote:VDesai wrote:Fouls are probably not gonna go away. He must lead the league in offensive fouls by a margin though I've honestly never seen that tracked.But he is getting some really good looks from 3 and they have been trying to play more Brunson/KAT actions in the offense. Where he is not succeeding his playing post or thriving in situations where Brunson is off the floor. Very different than last year where KAT complete ATE teams in the 2nd quarter of games where he dominated against second units...so many instances of him buncching up 8-12 points in a 3-4 min span of play.
Good chunk of his offensive fouls is because of those slow/methodical drives from almost 3 point land --- makes me wonder if part of the frustration for Kat is that Brown is trying to remove those drives from his bag. In turn Kat doesn't like being asked to change his drive game. I mean those drives are unproductive part of his game - mostly a net negative both in terms of charges but also missed shots and leaving us exposed on other end as Kat is lying in front row after falling to ground.
He's missing the kick part of his drive and kick game. Once he puts his head down he is not going to pass.
He has an quad injury and playing thru it.
Is he lost in the new system? Could be. Moping about trade rumors? Maybe. Perhaps either he or we need to up the antidepressants!
Would a trade be the answer? Always is. Until its not.
The Kessler/Lauri thing is not a bad idea but that assumes one of Ainges and their owners want to keep tanking. We just assume they just wants picks? We kind of smooth over that 3rd team concept and only what we get in return. You know someone gonna chime in and insist Jazz get that top lottery pick if somehow gifting us in some manner?
Can we win a chip if Lauri Marrrkkkeeennnneeenn is our second best player?
Poor Bargnani. He would have fit in much better in this era.
To be fair I did not watch this Buck Clunker game but I see we ready to write KAT Off. If so, who really wants him via trade if he is a mirage of sorts?
He is a bit of an enigma, dumb fouls, great defensive rebounder? Great shooter and goes to the rim nice! If Brown is in his head trying to get him to change and his quad hurts perhaps thats just enough to mess up a dude. Also others around him are not in synch also? If they not making the cuts proper the timing is all off.
And WTF is is up with Mitch? If an 18 minute half after a healthy off season and proven conditioning in camp is the reason for his mystery load management then he fails the litmus test to earn his extension or for that matter any manner by which he can be counted on? Knicks either have a trade lined up or he is injured.