Tracy McGrady questions ‘want-to’ of Knicks’ Karl-Anthony Towns

Sometimes, the message is simple.

And sometimes, it hits a little harder coming from a Hall of Famer.

Tracy McGrady didn’t dance around it when talking about Knicks big man Karl-Anthony Towns. He went straight to the point.

“He’s just gotta have the want-to,” McGrady said speaking with the New York Post’s Adam Schein on Schein Time. “He’s gotta want that… If he takes that approach, that mentality, nobody can guard KAT.” 

That’s the thing with Towns. Always has been.

The talent? Obvious. The skill? Elite. The versatility? Rare. McGrady laid it out.

“This guy is so talented… inside, outside, passing, finishing… he can do a lot of things,” he said. 

But then came the rest.

“It’s up to KAT to put his stamp on these games,” McGrady said.

That’s where this gets interesting. Because around the NBA, this isn’t exactly a new conversation.

Towns is putting up numbers. He always does. But this season has felt… uneven. The production is down a bit, the impact comes and goes, and the questions keep popping up. 

Meanwhile, the Knicks are trying to figure out who they are heading into the postseason.

McGrady didn’t just stop at Towns, either. He pointed to identity.

“I think what’s wrong with the Knicks is they lost their identity,” he said, referencing last season’s defensive edge. 

So yeah, this wasn’t just commentary. It was a challenge. To Towns. To the Knicks.

And maybe, to see if that “want-to” shows up when it matters most.