The Knicks’ first game without Jalen Brunson went as expected: hard-fought until the end, where New York missed its captain and All-Star clutch performer.

But Towns’ case may be worsening by the day. As the season went on, Towns looked like a lock for an All-NBA team. At one point, he had a case to be on the All-NBA First Team alongside the likes of Nikola Jokic, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Jayson Tatum.