Karl-Anthony Towns talks to The Post about experience, life as a Knick and title aspirations

OAKLAND, Calif. — Karl-Anthony Towns wants you to decide whether this has been his best NBA season.

There’s an argument to be made, for sure, as the 29-year-old prepares for his first All-Star start on Sunday while posting career bests in rebounds and 3-point percentage.

Towns just acknowledges that he’s different from earlier in his career.

And in this Knicks system with All-Star teammate Jalen Brunson, that difference in Towns has translated to the NBA’s No. 2 offense and the franchise’s most wins before the All-Star break since 1973.

“I don’t know if I’m such a high flyer as my second or third year,” Towns said in an interview with The Post. “But I’m definitely playing more at my speed this year than I did at other years.”

Like the game is slowing down?

“I just got a better feel,” Towns said. “Experience teaches a lot.”

Experience points were accumulated in abundance over the past three-plus months, with Towns getting surprised by a trade from the only pro franchise he had ever known on the eve of training camp.

There were question marks hovering over the move, doubts about restructuring a Knicks roster that appeared, prior to the trade, to be on an encouraging trajectory.

But the fit is better than imagined. Towns, coming off consecutive games of 40 or more points, is scoring and facilitating. He’s grabbing rebounds.

He’s dispelling those “he’s too soft” critiques while dominating the defensive glᴀss and playing through injuries.

“Of course, you always want better. So never satisfied,” Towns said. “But I’m just happy that I was able to implement myself into the team and that it resulted in winning. You guys were telling me the stats of having the best record going into the All-Star break since [the franchise’s last championship season in 1973]. Hopefully, history coincides with that and brings a ring with it.”

Breaking a championship drought of over 50 years still feels like a long sH๏τ, at least with the Celtics still roaming the Eastern Conference.

New York’s defense requires improvement, and two blowout defeats to Boston didn’t bode well for a potential playoff series.

Towns, gearing up for his fifth All-Star appearance, wasn’t overanalyzing those regular-season losses.

There’s still two more head-to-heads against the Celtics, in February and April.

“When I look back at those games, they were ugly as hell,” Towns said. “And when I look towards the future, I pray they’re not as ugly.”

The defense’s easiest path toward improvement is the addition of Mitchell Robinson, who is close to returning from an extended ankle-surgery recovery.

Towns, who was part of the No. 1 defense in Minnesota last season, is confident the Knicks will hit another level.

“It’s a level I’ve seen and done before in Minnesota, so I think we have the pieces and talent to do it,” he said.

Off the court, Towns’ fit has also been seamless. That part was more ᴀssumed for a product of central Jersey.

Work To World

Karl-Anthony Towns talks to The Post about experience, life as a Knick and тιтle aspirations

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