Karl-Anthony Towns Credits Weight Loss for Improved Health and Performance
The Knicks center adopted a slimming regimen over the summer to feel fresher and aid his physical well-being.
Karl-Anthony Towns appeared noticeably slimmer at the New York Knicks' Media Day on Monday, attributing his reduced weight to a summer regimen focused on enhancing his health and performance.
Towns stated that the weight loss is beneficial for his body and knees, contributing to a feeling of being "younger." This approach diverges from the typical offseason trend where players might add mass. Instead, Towns sheds pounds after the season, a practice he believes aids in injury prevention and quickness, despite potential trade-offs in strength.
He mentioned that his wife approved of his altered physique, and this personal change comes as he navigates stalled contract extension negotiations with the Knicks. The center, who stands at 7 feet tall, weighed 248 pounds last season, according to the Knicks' official website. Towns explained his routine involves shedding significant weight each summer after gaining mass during the season.
This past year marked a significant period for Towns, who celebrated his 30th birthday in November, won an NBA championship in June, and married his longtime girlfriend, Jordyn Woods, in August. During the playoffs, Towns evolved into a crucial playmaking hub, a role that contributed to the Knicks' championship run. His assists per game saw a 60 percent increase in the postseason, and the team experienced a 13-game winning streak.
Coach Mike Brown confirmed that Towns' role as a playmaker will continue to be a central part of the offense this regular season, with expectations of further evolution. "We started last season with an offense with him at the elbow but we just did different things when he caught the ball at the elbow and the action wasn’t always designed to go to him at the elbow," Brown said. "And so we eventually evolved into [going more to KAT at the elbow] and we will go with that and evolve into other things throughout the course of [the] year based on where we are as a team."
Brown also acknowledged the importance of speed and quickness in modern sports and expressed confidence in Towns and the performance staff to optimize his body composition for these attributes, even without having checked specific weight or body fat percentages himself.