Just like the rest of the NBA world, Karl-Anthony Towns was shocked that he was the main piece in a blockbuster trade between the Timberwolves and Knicks.
There had been whispers for years that the Knicks may trade for KAT, but it was one of those trades that everyone thought would never actually happen.
But here we are.
“Shocked,” he told reporters when asked about his initial reaction to the news. “Shocked. Maybe the word flabbergasted is more correct. Just shocked.”
Towns joked about the first thing he did when he got in front of his new teammates, after Jalen Brunson said at media day he didn’t know anyone called Karl – before the trade was official.
“The first thing I did was walk up to Jalen and introduced myself to say, ‘Hi, my name is Karl.’ Because I know that was a struggle for him,” Towns said.
KAT may find the system at the Knicks that little bit easier to adjust to, because he worked under Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau in Minnesota for two-and-a-half years.
“I think it gives us a little bit of a head start,” Towns told reporters. “I know the offense he likes to run. I know the way he likes to play defense and what he expects from his players.”
Thibs was complimentary of KAT and seems excited to be working with him once more.
“He’s gotten a lot more experience. He’s now been deep in the playoffs and knows what that’s like,” Thibodeau said. “As much as you try to prepare for something like that, until you go through it, you don’t fully understand what that is. His understanding is so much further along now than in his second year in the league. And his skill set is so unique that it fits well with everybody.”
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