I will preface this by saying I was a long time "he's soft as baby sh*t" narrative pusher. Of course, a lot of that comes down to ignorance and simply not watching much of his game.
After seeing all the outgoing support from Timberwolves fans and (obviously) having to accept that he's on our team like it or not, I'm changing my tune.
I read a bit about what he went through during Covid with his mom and damn, this dude has really been through the ringer the past 4 years. As a fellow mama's boy, that sh*t hit me hard. (https://www.nbcnews.com/news/nbcblk/nba-player-karl-anthony-towns-losing-8-relatives-covid-19-rcna3398)
So clearly, I was wrong. KAT is not soft and in-fact might be one of the toughest members of the Knicks. I'm ready to watch him ball out on this team.
Thanks for coming to my TED talk.
by Saucetheb0ss
24 Comments
As soon as I see the word hater I know this is written by a child
The “KAT is soft” narrative belongs in the same trash bin as the “Thibs runs his players into the ground” narrative.
His mom was a huge Knick fan. Maybe he will have huge motivation to honor his mom by bringing a championship to her beloved team. Go Knicks!
Thing is even if KAT wants to play “soft” and shoot 3s it’s okay because Brunson is already down low playing like a big man. Like KAT works for our lineup so it’s all good either way
The human psyche is drawn to popular opinion. Even if someone has no first hand knowledge of the situation, If everyone else is saying it then who am I to buck that trend? It’s a terrible flaw.
Once you put on the uniform of my lifelong favorite team you get a clean slate. What happens after that is up to the player.
That first interview he said all the right things. I think people overhype the whole “hard to play in NY” thing. If you’re genuine and play hard you’re a legend forever. It’s early right now, but I’m loving this team.
His game is soft though.
As a fan of both teams, I’ll say he’s definitely NOT soft. He just makes some dumb fouls and can make uncontrolled attempts at driving to the basket. He has also disappeared in some playoff games but his last playoff run he was great until the Dallas series. To be fair, I feel like most of the Wolves were out of gas by that point.
How I judge players coming to our team is how fans react to them leaving. You hear how Toronto loves OG, GSW fans for DDV, and now KAT. The community loves him and will always cherish him and defended those narratives.
Same! He’s a Knick now one of the blue and orange family we defend him like we do all other players who wear the colors.
I’m with you on this one and I’m sure we ain’t alone. Let’s go Knicks!!
I’m trying to talk myself into it.
Let’s be real here – a lot of the hate is because KAT often comes across as quite “zesty” (god I hate that word) and because it seems like he wants to come across as tough but instead he comes across awkward instead. Also, he’s made a lot of ridiculous statements that I’d classify as awkward/lacking self-awareness So yeah, most of the so-called hate comes from this type of surface-level bullshit.
Of course, there are legitimate criticisms against him based on how he has played defense or performed in big games, and that is why I haven’t been the biggest fan. But he’s a talented player, that’s for sure.
All the redditors that call him soft wouldn’t dare say it to his face.
it’s ok man, us knicks fans have hated almost every player that’s come to NY and most of them turned out to be exactly what we needed
I’ll always be a fan of KAT his high school played my high school all the time. I was a senior when he entered the draft cause he skipped a year of high school. I was so obsessed with the draft and loved KAT. It was hard watching him not play for the Knicks. 17 year old me would’ve been so hyped for this. Between him and Minkah and Lauri Hernandez it was awesome rooting for local NJ talent
I’ve been in the “KAT is soft” camp for years. I’ve never rooted for myself being more wrong in my life.
Nobody talking about his performance in the conference finals????
I’ve done a quick review of many of last seasons Timberwolves’ playoff games on [NBA.TV](http://NBA.TV) , particularly game 7 against the Nuggets. If you have any doubts about Kat, I suggest you do the same if you’re able. He will fit in with this team just fine…early season adjustments notwithstanding.
I’m super excited to see KAT here, I was a fan of his since college and was so upset when the Knicks fell in the lottery and missed out. The 2 man game with him and Brunson will be unreal, who’s the best PG he’s played with before this? Zach Lavine? Jeff Teague?
You’ll love him a lot folks. Knicks are my team now in the east. Feels good to support one more team now.
Was this written by a 14 year old?
It was a good move but nothing since the trade has happened has mattered whatsoever. He’s given can politically friendly responses that any idiot could do. You know how I know that? Because he’s one of the dumbest people in the NBA and he did it.
The Knicks were not real contenders before. Right now they’re still on the periphery. But they’re closer. They have a lineup that makes sense offensively and defensively now.
No one cares about the outpouring of support from Timberwolves fans who basically are better dogs. They’ve had one of the worst existences of any sports fans. So one of the few Stars they’ve ever had leaving, of course they’re going to support him.
I worked with his mom for a few years. KAT was still in college and she needed my help to cover for her while she would attend his games. She was a true gem. I will always root for the Knicks and KAT. His mom raised him right.
Shoutout to his mom who was ready to storm the court to fight Embiid.