Mar 2, 2025; Miami, Florida, USA; New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) high-fives with teammates during the second quarter against the Miami Heat at Kaseya Center. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images / Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
The All-Star center was ruled out for personal reasons, and Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau did not know when the former No. 1 overall pick would return to the team.
“When he’s ready to come back, obviously we want him back. But he needs some time right now,” Thibodeau said via SNY reporter Ian Begley.
The Knicks are about to embark on a five-game road trip on the west coast that doesn’t have a whole lot of relief. New York will start the road trip off hot against LeBron James, Luka Doncic and the Los Angeles Lakers. It’s arguably the biggest game on the five-game trip, and it could set the tone for how the rest of the games go.
The Knicks then play the following night against the Los Angeles Clippers, giving them hardly any rest to play another playoff-caliber opponent.
Then, the Knicks will draw the Sacramento Kings and Portland Trail Blazers, two beatable opponents for New York, but they have each been playing better basketball as of late. Neither game will be easy, especially on the road.
Towns will have a decent chance to return at some point on the trip since the Knicks have two full days off between their games in Portland and San Francisco, where a rematch with Stephen Curry and the Warriors takes place.
The Knicks can use this trip as a chance to get back to way things were, but without Towns, it makes it harder for that to happen.
This could give New York opportunities to give Mitchell Robinson more minutes with the starters, but this team needs to build confidence right now, and the best way to do that is to win on the road, which is a task that becomes more daunting without Towns.
