DETROIT — Karl-Anthony Towns, who took a hard shot under the basket and was fouled on the play Wednesday night in Miami, returned from the lane and stretched to reach 44 points on Wednesday night. 13 rebound effort against the Heat and the team’s defensive center Bam Adebayo.

This may seem out of character for Towns, but it could also be a sign that he’s becoming more acclimated to his new teammates and new style of play in New York.

When the Knicks traded Towns just before training camp and added it to the deal for Mikal Bridges over the summer, there was no doubt that the team had increased the talent level of its starting lineup. But there were also legitimate questions about whether they had lost anything.

By giving up Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo, they surrendered a pair of hard-nosed veterans in black sneakers and sneakers willing to mix it up in the paint and play with a style reminiscent of the Knicks teams of decades ago. They shave their heads as a sign of fear.

No one shaves their heads here right now, but maybe not all that vibe is gone.

“Of course they’re different,” JB Bickerstaff said before the Pistons trailed 69-46 at halftime (after trailing by 33 points) against the Knicks on Friday night with Jalen Brunson (26), Towns (16) and OG backing the lead. Anunoby scored a total of 55 points in the first half. “Adding guys like Towns and Bridges gives them a different dynamic individually that can impact the game at a high level. Both of those guys are capable of having big nights.

“But I think what they did was preserve the heart and soul of the team, and their spirit was the same. I think losing DiVincenzo was a little bit of a change. I thought he did a great job for them, too. But when you have the Josh Harts of the world and the Jalen Brunsons of the world, the one who gave them the opportunity “And they kind of maintain the fight and the spirit that they’re known for and they’re able to maintain their defensive identity with Anunoby. They’re always going to be well-coached. (Tom Thibodeau) does a great job with his teams, but I don’t think the mentality of who they are changes with the personnel changes.”

The team’s dynamics may still be determined by returning starters Brunson and Hart, as well as Anunoby, who played just 23 regular season games for the Knicks last season after arriving in a midseason trade. However, new pieces need to be added to keep the style in place. And perhaps Wednesday was a sign that Towns is a different player than when he first came to the league and played for Thibodeau in Minnesota.

“Every year is different and everyone starts over,” Thibodeau said. “Sometimes you bring the same guys back and it’s different. So you have to start from zero base and go from there. Like all teams in the league, we have a lot of work to do. “Teams that can fulfill their commitment to do this are improving day by day.”

For Towns, it wasn’t just about scoring goals, aggression and flexibility. He becomes a vocal leader of the defense, calling out pitches and schemes from the back line.

“KAT is his evolution from Game 1 to now,” Bridges said. “It’s only been a few games but his development, because you know the big guys are making a lot of moves, so hearing him off the ball screen has made everyone better on the ball and me personally better because I know there’s a screen.

“You go back to the last match and you improve day by day, match by match. In the Miami game, you see the same thing happen in Cleveland, going up at one point and then down, and how do you react? And I think we went out and went straight to it. Covering each other up. There was a lot of team defense and helping each other. Maybe someone will be surprised, and maybe even if it’s not your rotation, you can just put out the fire and help your teammate out with it.”

Steve Popper covers the Knicks for Newsday. He has spent nearly three decades covering the Knicks and the NBA, as well as nearly every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.