‘Same Standards, Which Is Championship Standards’

New York Knicks big man Karl-Anthony Towns says the standards are the same entering the 2025-26 season, which is “championship standards.” (Photo by Dustin Satloff/Getty Images)

Getty Images

Karl-Anthony Towns is well aware the New York Knicks have high expectations entering the season.

The five-time All-Star is coming off of one of the best seasons of his career playing for his hometown Knicks. The 29-year-old averaged 24.4 points and a career-high 12.8 rebounds and 1.0 steal per game while leading the Knicks to their first Eastern Conference Finals appearance in 25 years.

However, as the Knicks enter a new season with high expectations, he knows that last season doesn’t matter.

“Our expectations have always been the same, and we always try to keep the same standards, which is championship standards,” says Towns in a one-on-one interview. “Obviously having a great year last year, and getting to know each other and grow with each other, and build off that camaraderie and that unity we’ve built in those great series you’ve mentioned (playoff series). It’s up to us now to take it to another level and take the next step.”

The Knicks are considered one of the two favorites in the Eastern Conference alongside the Cleveland Cavaliers. New York has been knocking on the door step ever since the acquisition of All-Star guard Jalen Brunson. The Knicks have advanced to at least the semifinals in each of the past three seasons.

Acquiring Towns – who had established himself as one of the top big men over the past decade with the Minnesota Timberwolves – has gotten them to the elite level. The rest of the conference is currently battered and bruised with the Boston Celtics weakened due to Jayson Tatum’s injury and the Indiana Pacers decimated due to Tyrese Haliburton’s own Achilles injury suffered during the NBA Finals.

The unfortunate timing of those injuries have presented a wide-open path for the Knicks to advance to their first NBA Finals since 1999.

New York will open up their season at home against the Cavaliers in a litmus test of two teams expected to be the best in the Eastern Conference.

“We’re just staying in the present and not worrying about what we did in the past,” says Towns. “Because right now, when the ball goes up for jump ball on Wednesday, it’s going to be 0-0. Wins we got last year don’t count. The 20-point comebacks don’t make mean anything anymore. It’s gonna be 0-0. So (the season opener) is about being in the present, enjoying each game, learning, getting better every single day, so we can be the best version of ourselves when we get to that moment in the postseason.”

Towns, who is now entering his 11th season, has a very simple approach as he enters the 2025-26 season as the Knicks’ second-most experienced player behind Jordan Clarkson.

“Just enjoy the moments,” says Towns. “Enjoy the time with each other playing basketball at a high level and every single day, just focus on getting better.”

Karl-Anthony Towns Talks Love Of Clash Of Clans Video Game

As Towns prepares for another season with high expectations, he took a little bit of time to decompress just before the start of the year. The 7-foot big man actually participated as a judge in the first-ever “Clash of Clans Barbarian Lookalike Contest” in New York City this past weekend.

Simply put, the person who most resembled a barbarian from the popular mobile video game won $10,000.

Towns – who is an avid Clash of Clans player and gamer – explains why he’s a big fan of the mobile strategy video game.

“It’s strategic,” says Towns of why he enjoys Clash of Clans. “You got to be strategic. You got to put the time in to do the best and it kind of translates to basketball, right? You have to be strategic. You got to put the time in to be the best. It comes with practice too, and understanding what works and what doesn’t work. And meta it’s one of those things, it’s kind of like basketball — if you want to be great at anything, you gotta put the time in.”

He says the friends he grew up playing with all play the game to this day. Clash of Clans was originally released back in 2012.

“I’ve been playing for a long, long time,” says Towns. “It’s funny, my friends growing up with me, we play it a bunch. Even when I talk to people in Los Angeles, you’ll see them randomly playing Clash Royale or Clash of Clans. I’ve been playing Clash of Clans for a long, long time, and shout out to my childhood friends who are still playing it to this day, and I see them playing all the time.”

Towns says at the end of the day, it’s a great way to “get your mind” off of work and relax.

“Yeah, I mean, it does,” Towns says of helping you stay in a competitive mindset. “On top of that, it’s cool to be able to connect with friends. After all these years, we’re still looking at what we did when we were kids. On top of that too, it’s something that’s great to get your mind off of work when you need that time away.”