Shaq Critiques Knicks Star on Inconsistent Play

The New York Knicks will always be one of the most scrutinized teams in basketball. As one of the biggest markets in the league and one of the most popular basketball teams in the world, the spotlight is always on New York. This means that the Knicks face more pressure and higher expectations. Karl-Anthony Towns is one of those players who often face the most criticism. Towns was the number one overall pick, and for his whole career, people have been seeing if he will live up to the hype.

Even though he has had a pretty impressive career statistically, people still don’t think of Towns as a winner. He’s trying now to change that perception in New York, one of the hardest places to do it.

Shaquille O’Neal, who himself was a number one overall pick who lived up to the expectations and became a multiple-time NBA champion, weighed in on why Towns is so important to the Knicks' success in these playoffs.

“You know what scares me about the Knicks? I don’t know which KAT imma get. Am I going to get a tiger or am I going to get a p*ssy cat? Seriously, sometime he plays phenomenal and other times he’s nowhere to be found. If he plays like I know he can play, imma go with the Knicks, but he hasn’t showed me that in the last couple years.”

If Towns plays his best basketball in these playoffs, the Knicks should be one of the teams that are expected to come out of the East. If he shies away from the moment, the Knicks will likely fall short of their lofty preseason goals.