Karl-Anthony Towns’ title run with the Knicks now has a historic number attached to it, one that captures how dominant New York became with him on the floor.
The Knicks did not just win the 2026 championship.
They rolled through the East, then finished San Antonio in five games to end a 53-year title drought.
Karl-Anthony Towns plus-minus record explains Knicks dominance
StatMuse lists Towns as the owner of the highest plus-minus in a single NBA playoff run, finishing the 2026 postseason at +258.
“+258 – Karl-Anthony Towns (2026 NYK)
+245 – Steph Curry (2017 GSW)
+235 – Jalen Brunson (2026 NYK)
+227 – Draymond Green (2017 GSW)
+213 – Kobe Bryant (2001 LAL)
+209 – LeBron James (2016 CLE)”
That list says two things at once. It rewards stars who were on the floor for historically dominant teams, but it also reflects how essential Towns was to the way the Knicks functioned.
New York went 16-3 in the playoffs, swept Philadelphia and Cleveland, and produced one of the best postseason net ratings in recent memory. Towns was a major reason the spacing held, the rebounding stayed stable and Mike Brown could keep pressure on opposing frontcourts.
Karl-Anthony Towns record strengthens title-run reputation
This kind of plus-minus leaderboard tends to favor stars from juggernauts. The top four alone prove it, with Towns and Brunson sitting first and third from the 2026 Knicks, and Curry and Draymond Green sitting second and fourth from the 2017 Warriors.
That context matters. Plus-minus is not a perfect individual stat, because teammates, substitutions and blowout minutes all shape the number. But it is useful when it matches the eye test, and Towns’ playoff impact was hard to miss.
The Knicks also did not have a true like-for-like KAT backup. Mitchell Robinson gave them rebounding, defense and big postseason moments, but he could not replicate Towns’ shooting, passing and five-out spacing. Ariel Hukporti and other reserve bigs were not built to replace that skill set either.
That meant Towns’ minutes often became the minutes where New York’s offense could look its most complete. His record was boosted by the roster structure, but it was also earned by the way he made that structure work.
Brunson was the Finals MVP and rightful face of the championship. Towns’ +258 is the quieter truth underneath it: the Knicks were at their most overwhelming when their center was on the floor.
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