Draymond Green Highlights Major Karl-Anthony Towns Change in Knicks Run

The New York Knicks are on an impressive run through the NBA postseason, achieving 10 straight wins and potentially two consecutive sweeps to reach the NBA Finals.

While the Atlanta Hawks gave the Knicks a lengthy first-round series, something changed with the team, as they began to click, rattling off double-digit wins to close out that series and then seemingly sweeping the Philadelphia 76ers with ease.

Now that they’re facing a Cleveland Cavaliers team that features two multi-time All-Stars in Donovan Mitchell and James Harden, they’re continuing to make light work of their opponents.

And according to former Defensive Player of the Year winner Draymond Green, the team is displaying a strong “connectivity,” which he’s noticed, giving surprising praise to his on-court opponent, Karl-Anthony Towns.

Read more:Donovan Mitchell Reacts to Knicks Chants in Cleveland After Game 3 Loss

Green, who initially returned to fill in briefly for Shaquille O’Neal on ESPN’s “Inside the NBA,” mentioned that he’s noticed a major difference from KAT during the team’s playoff run.

“I’ve never seen Karl Anthony Towns defend and be as engaged as he is on the defensive end. What we’ve seen for years, and this year some, is him get these dumb fouls. He’s not even doing that anymore!” Green said. “I love the focus level and the connectiveness of that group.”

While it might seem like Green is throwing some shade at KAT there, he’s definitely giving him and the Knicks squad high praise, which means a lot coming from the four-time NBA champion.

Towns has been mostly consistent and remained on the court throughout the postseason. In his team’s 121-108 Game 3 win over the Cavaliers, he finished with 13 points, eight rebounds, seven assists, three steals, and a block, as well as four fouls.

Per StatMuse, Towns was second in the NBA this past season with 255 fouls, behind only Wendell Carter Jr. of the Orlando Magic.

For those wondering, Green has some room to talk about his NBA opponent. Although the Warriors star is known for complaining to officials over foul calls, he ranked 18th in the league with 197 fouls over 68 games this past season.

While Towns hasn’t fouled out of any playoff games this year, he’s still flirted with it, including two games against the Philadelphia 76ers in the second round. However, he’s kept his composure and focus, recognizing his value to the team on the court rather than the bench.

Defense is a big part of why this New York team is winning, as they rank at the top of all teams this postseason, holding opponents to an average of 101.2 points per game. They’ve also caused opponents to average 14.4 turnovers per game, ranking fifth among playoff teams.

The Knicks are now one win away from the championship round, thanks to all their players playing together at a high level. With either team New York ends up facing in the NBA Finals, he’ll need to continue that trend of playing top-notch defense and avoiding foul trouble.

They’ll either have a tall task in Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs, or a fierce challenge in the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder, a team known for effectively drawing fouls from opponents.

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This story was originally published May 24, 2026 at 6:03 PM.