Mike Brown came to the defense of Karl-Anthony Towns’ defense.

Towns is often criticized for his lax effort on that side of the ball.

His lack of speed, particularly laterally, is often noticeable when he’s late in rotations or slow getting down the court.

But, though it was against a weak opponent, Brown was impressed with Towns’ defensive showing during the Knicks’ win over the Jazz on Friday night at Madison Square Garden.

“KAT, he’s long,” Brown said. “He moves his feet better than what people think. Also, he’s got a great feel, he’s a smart basketball player. When he uses his length the right way, which he’s been doing as of late, just wall up and make them shoot over the top of you. If they make it, just move on to the next play. But when he does that, it helps our paint defens

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