紐約尼克今季引進 Karl-Anthony Towns，原希望藉此補強進攻火力，填補防守悍將Isaiah Hartenstein 轉投奧克拉荷馬雷霆後的空缺。然而隨著球季進行，Towns在防守端的缺陷日益明顯，尤其在季後賽與 Jalen Brunson 同場時，尼克屢屢無法有效防守，最終不敵印第安納溜馬止步次輪。
Knicks players and coaches were reportedly frustrated with Karl-Anthony Towns’ defensive habits, per @TheAthletic
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) June 1, 2025
“Publicly, Knicks players made veiled comments all season about poor communication causing their inconsistencies. Behind the scenes, they and coaches expressed… pic.twitter.com/S0Y3wM8OxG
根據《The Athletic》記者 Fred Katz 與 James Edwards 報導，尼克隊內球員與教練團對 Towns 的防守習慣感到愈發挫折。他們指出Towns經常在無溝通下執行錯誤防守策略，導致整體防守結構崩潰。有資深老將 PJ Tucker 直言：「大家都會和我講話，但在場上那一刻，彼此之間卻沒有溝通。」
數據也顯示 Towns 對球隊防守的負面影響。例行賽中，當他不在場時，尼克防守效率每百回合提升 2.8 分。季後賽雖無明顯落差，但 Towns 與 Brunson 搭配時，防守成效明顯被對手針對，無論是 Drop Coverage 還是換防都屢被打爆。
Knicks players and coaches reportedly “expressed frustration” with Karl-Anthony Towns’ defensive problems.
— Fireside Knicks (@FiresideKnicks) June 1, 2025
They felt that Towns was playing his coverages incorrectly and was unable to provide a reason as to why it was happening 😳 (h/t @JLEdwardsIII, @FredKatz) pic.twitter.com/KLg4K6efIz
目前尼克無意交易 Brunson，這也代表 Towns 若要繼續留隊，必須提升防守表現。雖然他在前東家明尼蘇達灰狼擔任大前鋒時曾融入聯盟最佳防守體系，如今 Mitchell Robinson 傷癒歸隊，或許尼克會考慮將 Towns 調回四號位，以挽救整體防守。
不過，若球隊認定 Towns 的防守問題無解，考慮再次交易他並非不可能選項。畢竟身為聯盟十年老將，若至今仍無法改善防守，未來成長的空間恐怕相當有限。
