In a league whose teams are increasingly seeking ball-handlers with size, Jalen Brunson‘s scoring mastery makes him something of a modern-day unicorn for the Knicks, writes James L. Edwards III of The Athletic.
“He’s got good pace, and he’s really smart. He doesn’t really get too bored with the game,” said Magic guard Jalen Suggs. “He doesn’t get too bored keeping it simple. He challenges you every possession. He’s one of the best players in our league. I love the fact that we get to play him four times a year. I’ve gotten better from our battles.”
Only seven players are currently averaging more points per game than Brunson, and of those seven, Edwards says, only two do so at a similar height: Donovan Mitchell and Tyrese Maxey, both of whom possess athletic gifts that Brunson cannot replicate. That’s why Edwards refers to Brunson as, “pound for pound,” the best scorer in the NBA.
Despite Brunson’s All-NBA level play in recent years, skeptics continue to question whether a guard of his size can lead a team to a championship. As Stefan Bondy of the New York Post, the Knicks star is beginning to win over some of those doubters.
“No one thought that a team shooting a lot of threes could win a title until Golden State did it,” said Hall of Famer Dwyane Wade. “Charles [Barkley] is always talking about, ‘You can’t win shooting threes.’ So obviously anything is possible. Is it hard? Yes. It’s really, really hard. So that just means for Jalen to be as great as he needs to be, that means everybody else around him needs to get better. … But it is yet to be seen. We’ve got to see it, too.”
We have more from the Knicks:
- This year’s version of the Knicks has proven more resilient than in previous seasons, and much of that is due to new head coach Mike Brown, opines Kristian Winfield of the New York Daily News. Brown’s insistence on playing with pace has made New York’s offense less predictable, and his emphasis on hitting first in terms of physicality has made the team’s defense less toothless than last season. “I think our physicality is extremely better,” Josh Hart said. “When you’re able to be physical on the perimeter, you’re able to throw teams off what they do and now your defense is more impactful. You can be in passing lanes and do those kinds of things, protect shots at the rim. So I think our physicality is something that’s driving that, and that’s something we have to do.” Winfield notes that between those changes and getting Karl-Anthony Towns to play his best on defense, Brown may be laying the groundwork for a third Coach of the Year campaign.
- Miles McBride‘s ankle injury has given Tyler Kolek an opportunity to prove that he can be the backup point guard the Knicks need, and Saturday’s win against the Magic was a step in the right direction, Bondy and Jared Schwartz write for the New York Post. Kolek was a team-best plus-17 in his minutes and was on the court for a crucial part of the game at the end of the third quarter and the start of the fourth, as the Knicks took control. “Tyler did a fantastic job today, our young fella, of impacting winning,” Towns said after the victory. “He did that on a big stage tonight. I think one of his finest games as an NBA player was tonight, and may not show up on the stats sheet, but everybody in our locker room knows how important he was to us tonight.”
- The Knicks are trying to prove that they belong among the NBA’s true contenders, and Tuesday’s matchup against the Spurs in the NBA Cup championship will be a key battleground for them to do so, writes Steve Popper for Newsday. The Spurs knocked off the league-best Thunder in their semifinal matchup and have managed to hold onto the fourth-best record in the Western Conference despite battling injuries and having a core group of players that skew very young. Popper suggests that a disappointing performance could give the Knicks an indication heading into trade season that some adjustments to the roster might be needed to secure a spot in the NBA’s upper echelon of contenders.
Jalen Brunson is figthing with Steph and Cade for best usa born player at the moment
Along with Anthony Edwards, Kevin Durant, Donovan Mitchell, Jaylen Brown, Devin Booker, Evan Mobley and Tyrese Maxey. All bets are off though if Tatum comes back at full strength.
Absolutely not lmao
Obviously Brunson is very good, I just can’t get on board with his game. Definitely in the protected species bracket. Wasnt looking forward to watching SGA and Brunson shoot free throws in that cup thingy. Having said that, it would be good for New York to win something for long suffering fans. Then again, I’m sure Wemby doesn’t care about the Knicks fans. Spurs are balling and deep. Shout out to Keldon Johnson….that young man is playing hard, it’s infectious. He’s always been solid but this season in the Spurs games I’ve watched (lots). Keldon is the glue guy and when he hits the court, the intensity lifts. Good all round game, unselfish and hustles his back side off. Hart v Keldon. Vessell v Bridges. Brunson v Fox. Wemby v Kat and Mitch. Good individual match ups everywhere.
You forgot the second best player on the Spurs, and the player that’s really the glue with intensity and hustle – Castle. Johnson off the bench is fine, but that’s truly his calling.
Castle has a ways to go before he’s surpasses Fox as the Spurs 2nd best player. If he doesn’t develop that jumper the bench will be Castle’s calling as well.
Fox didn’t (and still doesn’t) have a jumper. And Castle’s defense is superior to anyone on the team not named Wemby. Castle is the second best player on that team, and he proved it when Fox was on the IR.
Fox “still doesn’t have a jumper”, but somehow despite a slow start coming off the injury he’s shooting 39.1% from three for the season.
Did you watch the Spurs beat OKC? Fox was 8-15 overall and 3-7 from three (43%). He also had a +/- of +7 to castle’s -7, due to Castle’s coughing up a game high 6 TOs to Fox’s 1.
And speaking of defense, Fox had a better DRtg, 108-111
Nobody cares about winning the NBA Cup. Just another game to win. You don’t play to lose. We know there is only one trophy that matters. So get that BS out your head. In spirts you always play to win. And that check makes more worthwhile winning now. Especially for the young guys and minimum salary guys. Even Landry will get a check.
Spurs are young but deeper. That’s where a guy like Fox can really help. It’s not a series. But both teams are coming to win. I expect a good game. I know Wemby is still coming back. So I expect Towns to play big. That is what I want to see most. Should be fun.
Yeah, they’re playing the game for charity. The $600k is just for funsies .
“Wasnt looking forward to watching SGA and Brunson shoot free throws in that cup thingy.”
Knicks as a team are 22nd in FTA and Brunson only shoots 6.7 per game despite taking 21 FGA per game. This criticism of Brunson is so overblown. You have guys like Jimmy Butler with 7.6 FTA on only 11.5 FGA or prime Embiid getting almost twice as many FTA per game. Keyonte George gets more FTA per game than Brunson. Brunson gets way too much hate for something that so many players in the league do much more of.
This is for @arc …. who hasn’t learned who his team is yet. Yet always defends their mediocrity. It’s not about me arc. It’s about facts and the truth. You can’t hear it from me. So hear it from Wade …..
“No one thought that a team shooting a lot of threes could win a title until Golden State did it,” said Hall of Famer Dwyane Wade.”
Brunson may be short. But he is thick, strong, and plays smart. He learned a lot from Luka. He uses change of speeds better than anyone I have ever seen. Truly an art. My only criticism of him is. I wish he would be over 8 ast a game. I consider Fox best PG defender in the L. If he can keep Brunson in chk. Then Bridges and Towns will have to play big. This should be a good game ……
You see how we can get psyched over one game. That’s what a tournament early in season does. So what’s the issue with the haters. Only non basketball fans can be against this. NYK ….
Knicks should look to Jazz …… I would take Love fir Yabusele ….We will throw in a 2nd rd pick.
I think Live went to Utah to watch the sunset. He’s not going to come to NYC with his level of anxiety. I would think he’d retire before accepting a deal to move.
These teams look pretty evenly matched, same record and similar tough schedules with 13 out of their 25 games having been vs teams with winning records.
For this matchup, I think the Spurs’ depth combined with Knicks’ guards injuries result in the win and the mild upset of the betting odds.
Don’t know if Wemby is on mins restrictions. He only played 21 mins vs Thunder. Still put up 22 n 9. So Towns has to play big imo. Kornet knows Towns. So he will have to bring it. Knicks missing McBride. So Clarkson and Kolek have to take up slack.
These are the games they got Fox for. Both these teams are here to win and collect that check. I expect a playoff type game. Should be fun ……
He is. First game back. Will be for a couple of games before he ‘stretches’ out.