A new coach means new roles.
Karl-Anthony Towns has embraced that reality and taken the necessary steps to fit into the new role that recently appointed New York Knicks head coach Mike Brown has for him.
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Much has been made of this new-look Towns as the Knicks look to go a step further this yearCredit: GETTY
Towns spent a lot of this off-season shedding weight as he prepares to play power forward under Brown this season.
“He said that he did drop weight this summer to prepare for time at power forward, something he’d done in Minnesota when Rudy came on board,” Knicks reporter Steve Popper claimed Towns told him.
Stepping into the power forward role will be an adjustment for Towns, who played center for under former Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau last season.
Towns enjoyed a strong debut season for New York after joining from Minnesota, averaging 24.4 points and 12.8 rebounds.
Towns’ weight loss comes after Kendrick Perkins’ advice
While it’s unclear whether Towns’ decision to slim down has been inspired by Kendrick Perkins, the 2016 NBA champion did tell the Knicks star to lose weight earlier this year.
“Karl-Anthony Towns, if I was you, I’d go lose me about 15 pounds,” he said on his podcast “Perk Unplugged.”
“You get 15 pounds off of you, bro, and you stay consistent… It’s going to be smoke.
“Boy, you going to be ready. I’m telling y’all, man. I’m looking forward.”
Perkins added that Towns will get much quicker and that his defense will drastically improve.
One of the criticisms of the Knicks and Towns last year was their overall defense.
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Towns has drawn praise for his slimmer figure ahead of the NBA seasonCredit: GETTY
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Perkind advised Towns to lose some weight in critical comments about his gameCredit: GETTY
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Towns enjoyed a stellar debut season with the Knicks despite Perkins’ criticismsCredit: Getty
Last season, the Knicks finished 14th in the league for their team’s defensive rating as their NBA title bid ended at the hands of the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference Finals
However, it’s unlikely that the Knicks’ defense will dramatically improve under their new head coach, Brown.
The former Sacramento Kings boss is known for his focus on offense, something that has sometimes come at the cost of their defense.
And Brown has already told his players and reporters what is necessary to play his fast-paced offensive type of basketball.
“In my opinion, you just have to be mentally tough,” Brown said after the Knicks’ preseason game against the Philadelphia 76ers in Abu Dhabi.
“Because anybody can run fast in this league, in my opinion, because these are the best athletes in the world. Now, there might be some guys that are faster than others.
“But if you have the mental toughness to consistently do it 10 out of 10 times, you’ll be a guy who is faster three out of 10 times. I love the toughness of our guys mentally.”
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