Image Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images

“KAT’s the Least of My Worries”: Malik Beasley Sparks Fire Ahead of Knicks vs Pistons Playoff Clash

Image Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images

The New York Knicks are all set to host the Detroit Pistons in the first game of the NBA Playoffs series at Madison Square Garden on Saturday. However, the mind games and war of words have already begun with Malik Beasley firing shots at Knicks’ star player Karl Anthony Towns.

In a post-training media briefing, the Pistons’ guard was asked about facing KAT. However, Malik Beasley made a bold statement saying, “I’m not worried about KAT. I don’t think about KAT….he is the least of my worries.” It is safe to say that Malik Beasley has shot the first bullet with his words.

Malik Beasley on IG: pic.twitter.com/P4A8oHbNs9
— New York Basketball (@NBA_NewYork) April 18, 2025

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Karl Anthony Towns has had a revealing NBA season with the New York Knicks. He has turned out to be one of the best players besides Jalen Brunson. Not acknowledging the threat that KAT could pose in the Detroit Pistons matchup could give the required ammunition to Anthony Towns to go all in on Malik Beasley on Saturday.

The power forward in his first season at the New York Knicks scored 24.4 points, 12.8 rebounds, and 3.1 assists. This with a 52.6 FG percent. Even in the last matchup against the Detroit Pistons on 11th April, Karl Anthony Towns registered a double-double with 25 points and 10 rebounds to his name.

The threat of KAT cannot be taken lightly especially by a Detroit Pistons’ side that has made it to the NBA Playoffs for the first time in half a decade. The sheer lack of experience in such clutch phases can alone blow them out of the water. Moreover, the Knicks are a stacked side that lets their game talk on the court. Which is how they finished their regular season at the third position in the Eastern Conference.

Malik Beasley – a Force on the Pistons’ Side

Malik Beasley also has had a standout season in his first stint at the Detroit Pistons. He consistently performed when called from the bench. In fact, Beasley became a handful of players in NBA history to feature in all 82 games in the regular season. He has averaged 16.3 PPG with a 43.0 FG percent. As a result of that, Malik Beasley is one of the strong contenders for the Sixth Man of the Year award.

The 28-year-old also went on to break the Pistons’ record for hitting the most threes in a single season. He went on to break the record by knocking down 319 threes. And interestingly, this is also the only NBA season where three players have lodged more than 300 3s, with Anthony Edwards (320), Beasley (319), and Steph Curry (311) leading the way from beyond the arc.