Kendrick Perkins challenges Karl-Anthony Towns to lose weight

Kendrick Perkins has a suggestion for Karl-Anthony Towns.

The former NBA-veteran-turned-ESPN-analyst laid into the polarizing Knicks big during his “Perk Unplugged” show by bluntly advising Towns.

“Karl-Anthony Towns, if I was you, I’d go lose me about 15 pounds… You get 15 pounds off of you, bro, and you stay consistent… It’s going to be smoke. Boy, you going to be ready. I’m telling y’all, man. I’m looking forward,” Perkins said.

Perkins stressed that shedding weight isn’t just cosmetic, suggesting it could significantly enhance Towns’ lateral quickness and on-ball defense under new coach Mike Brown, whom the Knicks hired earlier this week.

Perkins argued that conditioning, not talent, remains the only thing holding KAT back defensively.

The former Celtic has expertise in this arena, given that he was listed between 270 to 280 pounds for the bulk of his NBA tenure.

Towns, who turns 30 in November, posted strong numbers in 2024–25, averaging 24.4 points and 12.8 rebounds per game across 72 regular-season outings, shooting 37.1 percent from three.

But his defense remained a glaring weakness, especially in the playoffs, magnified in the Knicks’ Eastern Conference Finals loss to the Indiana Pacers.

Towns averaged 21.4 points and 11.6 rebounds on 49 percent shooting and 35 percent from three during the playoffs.

In his first year as a Knick, Towns was also named All-NBA for the third time in his career, and an All-Star for the fifth time.

This past season, the Knicks finished just 14th in team defensive rating, their second-worst margin under former coach Tom Thibodeau.