Karl-anthony Towns Says Knicks Will 'be Judged On What We Do On This Run'

Karl-Anthony Towns had an up-and-down 2025-26 season for the Knicks. While he earned his second All-Star appearance in two years with New York, he also averaged a career-low 31.0 minutes per game, and his 20.1 points per game were the lowest since his rookie season. 

But speaking with reporters on Wednesday ahead of the Knicks’ first round playoff matchup with the Atlanta Hawks, Towns said that he, and the entire team, will be judged on what they do in the postseason. 

“It’s great that we put ourselves in this position, to be in the playoffs in this position, but at the end of the day, the regular season doesn’t mean anything if we don’t capitalize on this opportunity,” he said.

"This is the time. We've got to go out there and we've got to execute and we've gotta capitalize on this opportunity. At the end of the day, we'll be judged on what we do on this run."

Towns’ fit and role in Mike Brown’s system has been a topic of discussion all season, but the versatile big man could be a real matchup problem for the Hawks. Towns had 36 points and 15 rebounds against Atlanta back in December, and he went for 21 points and 12 rebounds against them earlier this month. 

“I’ve got to continue to impact winning and do whatever this team needs me to do or sacrifice for to get us the win, so I’m willing to do that,” he said. 

“Trust my work, that’s where my confidence is built,” he later added. “It’s built when there are no lights, no cameras, no fans. Just me, the basketball and the hoop. Me and the great (assistant coach) Mark Bryant, we get to work and my confidence is built there.”

The Knicks took two out of three head-to-head matchups with the Hawks this season, but Towns knows Atlanta, who finished first in the Southeast Division this year, will provide a challenge.

“I mean, they’re a great team,” Towns said. “They’re young, they’re athletic, and they cause turnovers. So, we expected ourselves needing to be the best. We just have to continue to use those one percents every game in the regular season to be the team we want to be at this time.”