Knicks' Jalen Brunson spreads the wealth, doesn't have to lead in scoring to be team leader
Jalen Brunson #11 of the New York Knicks controls the ball in the first half against the Washington Wizards at Madison Square Garden on Monday, Nov. 18, 2024 in New York City. Credit: Jim McIsaac
PHOENIX — From the start Monday night, it was clear that Jalen Brunson’s shot was on target and it didn’t change in the blowout win over Washington as he scored 26 points on 9-of-15 shooting. But what the Knicks have seen in the first 14 games of the season, and maybe more valuable as they head out on a five-game road trip, is that they can survive when Brunson isn't carrying the scoring load.
The Knicks are carrying an 8-6 record onto the road, not where they want to be as Cleveland and Boston threaten to pull away from the pack almost before the season began. But they have begun to see the scoring potential of Karl-Anthony Towns, Mikal Bridges and OG Anunoby, combined with the holdovers, Brunson and Josh Hart, can survive if any one players struggles.
And what it has come from is Brunson showing that he can lead the offense even when he isn’t the primary scorer. In games that he has not shot at least 50% from the floor — if you throw out the one outlier in Philadelphia when he had six turnovers and five assists, Brunson has piled up 55 assists with just 11 turnovers.
“He is finally passing the ball,” Hart said, jokingly. “So that is a good sign. When he is able to get a guy the ball to take pressure off him, the energy is flowing, the ball has energy, and guys are able to shoot confidently or make plays confidently.”
“The playmaking has been phenomenal,” Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said. “So, you know, the Brooklyn game, he didn't score a lot of points, but he had (10) assists in that game. But after watching the film and I felt it during the game, I felt like he was in the paint and he made a number of great plays in which we missed wide-open shots, but they were beautiful plays.
“I think we're sensing that and we're feeling it, but he’s creating a lot, we're getting easy baskets, we're getting open threes, we're getting a lot of things that we want to get in high value. So I think that's huge. And then when one guy starts doing it, everyone starts doing it.”
Brunson followed that Brooklyn game up with 11 assists and zero turnovers Monday, guiding a balanced attack. On the season the Knicks have six players — the five starters plus Deuce McBride — all averaging double-figure scoring.
“I appreciate it but it really is all them,” Brunson said. “They do everything to get themselves ready for the game and in the right position and I try to give them the ball. It is really a credit to their work ethic and what they put into it, so it is all them.
“I am just trying to make the right play at the right time while staying aggressive and having that aggressive mindset. It is a little bit of knowing where and when to choose my spots, but I think my mentality and approach has stayed the same, but it is knowing that things could be different out there, I have got to take control at the right time.”
Steve Popper covers the Knicks for Newsday. He has spent nearly three decades covering the Knicks and the NBA, along with just about every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.
