Last offseason, the New York Knicks made a pair of moves that drastically upped their chances of competing for a champion. Following a strong first campaign with his new team, one of the franchise's newest stars finds himself near the top of recent position rankings.
Around this time last year, the Knicks pulled off a trade that left the basketball world stunned. They parted with former All-Star Julius Randle in order to acquire Minnesota Timberwolves big man Karl-Anthony Towns.
Towns had been connected to the Knicks in rumors in the past, and finally found himself in the Big Apple. Alongside Jalen Brunson, he formed the Eastern Conference's newest formidable duos.
Despite the change of scenery, Towns maintained his high level of play in New York. In his first season with the Knicks, he landed All-Star and All-NBA honors after averaging 24.4 PPG, 12.8 RPG, and 3.1 APG. Towns' infusion to the roster played a key role in the franchise making the conference finals for the first time in 25 years.
Ahead of a new season, the people at HoopsHype decided to rank the top 26 centers in the NBA right now. Towns headlined this group, coming in at No. 3. The only players ahead of him were Victor Wembanyama and three-time MVP Nikola Jokic.
"Star big man Karl-Anthony Towns had a magnificent debut season with his hometown New York Knicks, going down as one of just two players in 2024-25 to put up a 24/12/3 stat line, along with the No. 1 player on this list. Towns has a special skill set for a center, thanks to his ability to shoot, drive, finish with power near the rim, and even create looks for teammates," wrote Frank Urbina.
After adding numerous depth pieces, the Knicks are poised to pull off another deep run in 2026. That said, New York is only going to go as far as Towns and Brunson can take them.