In a somewhat predictable move, the New York Knicks have listed Karl-Anthony Towns as questionable for Tuesday’s game against the Milwaukee Bucks due to a quadriceps injury.
The star big man has been dealing with a Grade 2 quad strain over the last week to begin the 2025-26 campaign, surprisingly playing through the issue which would likely sideline many players.
Through the first three games of the regular season, Towns averages 20.0 points while shooting 40.5% from the field and 38.9% from three-point range. While his scoring mark and shooting splits are down to start the year compared to last season’s mark of 24.4 PPG, the multi-time All-Star is making a significant impact on the boards with a career-best 14.0 rebounds per game, though the sample size remains small thus far.
Elsewhere on the Knicks’ injury report, center Mitchell Robinson (injury management) has already been ruled out. Miles McBride (personal) and Guerschon Yabusele (knee) are both questionable to play against the Bucks.
If Towns misses the contest and Yabusele plays, the Frenchman would almost certainly slot into the starting lineup at center. Although undersized, New York signed the 29-year-old to provide frontcourt depth this past offseason after a successful campaign with the Philadelphia 76ers in which he averaged 11.0 points and 5.6 rebounds per game. If Yabusele also misses the contest though, Ariel Hukporti likely comes off the bench as the starting center.
In the case that Towns doesn’t play, watch for point guard Jalen Brunson to absorb a significant portion of the big man’s shot volume. Forwards OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges would also be in line for additional usage.
The Knicks are off to a 2-1 start this season with wins over the Cleveland Cavaliers and Boston Celtics before a loss to the Miami Heat in their last game. Tuesday’s matchup against Milwaukee begins at 8 p.m. EST.
