Earlier this week, Karl-Anthony Towns was absent from the New York Knicks’ game against the Golden State Warriors due to personal reasons. This prompted heavy criticism of the 29-year-old center, and now one of his teammates has delivered a pointed critique regarding the dynamics of the NBA.
“It’s tough,” Josh Hart said in an interview shared by reporter Tomer Azarly on his X account. “A lot of you guys forget we’re humans. Or you guys look at us like we’re animals in a petting zoo or a parlay, or something like that,” he added, referring to the press and the general public.
“We give him a lot of credit; we’re there for him,” Hart explained in support of Towns, who was on the court Friday night and led the Knicks with 23 points and 10 rebounds in a tight 105-95 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers at the Intuit Dome.
“You all forget that we’re real people, that we have real-life problems and traumas and things like that that we have to navigate,” the 30-year-old guard continued. “I think everyone has to keep that in mind when they say things. People say stupid things when they don’t understand and… We’re humans.”
Draymond Green speaks on Towns’ absence
Speaking about Karl-Anthony Towns’ absence from the New York Knicks’ game against the Golden State Warriors earlier this week, Draymond Green made a striking comment: “Some would say he didn’t play because Jimmy (Butler) was in the building… They said KAT didn’t play because Jimmy came to town.”
After learning that the real reason behind Towns’ absence was related to serious personal matters, Green was quick to clarify his statement. “Oh, that’s unfortunate, I’m sorry to hear that. That sucks,” he said. “But my comments were based on what I heard, and that’s what I heard. So I do send my well wishes to him and his family.”
Towns’ importance to the Knicks
In his first season with the New York Knicks, Karl-Anthony Towns has performed at an exceptionally high level and has been one of the key contributors to the team’s solid position in the Eastern Conference standings.
The 29-year-old center has elevated his numbers compared to his last two seasons with the Minnesota Timberwolves. Throughout the current campaign, Towns is averaging 24.2 points per game, ranking second on the team (behind Jalen Brunson) and 22nd in the league. Additionally, he is averaging 13.3 rebounds, ranking second in the league behind only Domantas Sabonis.