Embattled five-time All-Star New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns has clapped back at his critics — sort of.

After falling to the Indiana Pacers in a six-game Eastern Conference Finals tilt, a pseudo-hit piece from The Athletic's Fred Katz and James L. Edwards III indicated that multiple New York coaches and players had "expressed frustration" about the 7-footer's bad habits on defense.

Knicks Star Reacts to New Free Agent Signing

His defensive connectivity, on a club that boasts four strong defenders playing big minutes in All-Defensive wings Mikal Bridges and OG Anunoby, center Mitchell Robinson and guard Josh Hart, also came under scrutiny.

Defensive inconsistency has been a bit of a refrain from pundits beyond Towns' own teams over the years. In the right system, he can at l

See Full Page