Jalen Brunson still adjusting to Karl-Anthony Towns and Mikal Bridges as Knicks' roller-coaster start to season continues
Knicks guard Jalen Brunson dribbles while guarded by Atlanta Hawks guard Dyson Daniels, center, who is picked by center Jericho Sims, right, during the second half of an NBA game Wednesday in Atlanta. Credit: AP/Jason Allen
ATLANTA — Jalen Brunson sat at his locker for a long time after Wednesday night’s loss to the Hawks was over, ice packs taped onto each knee, staring at nothing as his teammates dressed and headed for the bus bound for the airport.
When he finally got dressed and ready to talk, he assessed his play bluntly.
“Like [expletive],” Brunson said. “Because I have my own expectations and I haven’t lived up to them.”
It’s not new for Brunson to take a loss on his shoulders, and this defeat in Atlanta was no different from others. It’s why he was named the captain during the summer, serving as the leader for a team with championship aspirations.
But even a captain who has been a part of this franchise’s ascension needs time to adjust, just as the new players do. So while the wait for the Knicks (3-4) to get off the roller-coaster start to the season continues, learning how to fit newcomers Karl-Anthony Towns and Mikal Bridges into the lineup — on both ends of the floor — is an adjustment for Brunson, too.
“Yeah, he’s just got to make the reads,” coach Tom Thibodeau said. “He’s got to work his way through it. He’s going to make some, he’s going to miss some. Just shoot your shots.”
“I’ve got to be better overall when it comes to me playing individually and also making sure this team is ready to go night in and night out,” Brunson said. “And I just haven’t done that.”
Even with the added weapons, teams are loading up defensively on Brunson. Atlanta’s Dyson Daniels physically defended him and didn’t allow him to create a switch as he worked his way through screens (the two briefly got tangled at one point in the fourth quarter and appeared ready to square off).
Brunson was 3-for-8 shooting with Daniels as the primary defender, including 0-for-4 from beyond the arc. He got to the free-throw line only once and had one assist and one turnover. Brunson finished with 21 points in the 121-116 loss.
There have been moments when the Knicks look like the powerhouse they were projected to be. They started the just-completed four-game road trip with a hard-fought win in Miami and then a blowout victory in Detroit in which the offense flowed like the best and most cohesive units in the game.
But in Houston and Atlanta, the Knicks suffered through the same stuck-in-the-mud start to the game and then, after battling back, a collapse in the final minutes as the game got away.
“It started off well,” Towns, who had 34 points and 16 rebounds against the Hawks, said of the trip. “We got some good momentum wins. [Wednesday night], including myself, we came out sluggish and we can’t allow that to happen. We can’t allow that to happen. We’ve got to impose our will. We’ve got to play New York Knicks basketball right from the giddy-up. We can’t just ease into the game. Yeah, this one’s going to hurt.”
“I think we’re still figuring it out,” Bridges said. “Offensively, defensively, we still got to figure it out. Like I said, it’s early. So we just need more time. And we’ll figure it out.
“That’s just on us. We just got to come out, set the tone early. From the starters, all of us got to be better.’’
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.
