The New York Knicks have been in search of a point guard since the dawn of time. Could Jalen Brunson be the Knicks’ solution?
It’s all about Luka Doncic when the Dallas Mavericks visit most NBA teams. When they showed up at Madison Square Garden to take on the Knicks this season, a different Mav received the attention.
I’m not talking about Latvian Rik Smits or even Frank Ntilikina, but someone who’s yet to disappoint Knicks fans. There was another potential new Knicks point guard in the building.
That’s right. I’m talking about Jalen Brunson. Some Knicks fans have taken to Jalen Brunson as a hobbit might take to his jewelry. The front office would love to see Brunson in New York too. The bevy of reported interest in Brunson from the Knicks is not a surprise as his ties to the franchise are deep.
Jalen’s dad, Rick, was Leon Rose’s first client and is a close friend of Rose. Rick played for the Knicks while Tom Thibodeau was an assistant under Jeff Van Gundy.
Thibodeau hired Rick as an assistant during his stints as head coach in Chicago and Minnesota. Thibodeau’s comments about Jalen back in January made it clear the coach has a high opinion of the young point guard.
Jalen is still represented by CAA – yes, that CAA – with Rose’s son part of the team representing him. Before you get all tinfoil hat, Jalen didn’t even go to Kentucky. He’s just an outstanding player that everyone likes and the Knicks could really use. Here’s why.
Breaking down Jalen Brunson’s game
Brunson is averaging career highs in points (15.9), assists (5.5), rebounds (3.8), and minutes (31.8). His shots have gone up too yet his shooting percentages have remained steady.
Brunson having a breakout season in a contract year could be considered a red flag, but not when you notice that he established a pattern of efficiency last season. He’s maintained that level of efficiency even with his enhanced starting role.
Despite being only 6-foot-1, Brunson is able to muscle his way to the rim.
Brunson is converting 70 percent of his shots at the rim for the second straight season (95th percentile for combo guards), per Cleaning the Glass. Only four combo guards in the entire NBA are converting at a higher rate.
New York’s current point guard rotation of Kemba Walker and Alec Burks are shooting an unacceptable 46 and 41 percent at the rim, respectively.
Brunson is shooting an absurd 58.4 percent on his 14.4 drives per game. For context, Giannis Antetokounmpo is converting on 59.6 percent of his 12 drives per game.
The Knicks don’t have anyone on their roster who averages close to Brunson’s driving number. RJ Barrett leads the team with 10.5. New York hasn’t had a player who drives with Brunson’s frequency since Derrick Rose’s first run in New York.
Brunson is elite from the midrange too. He’s shooting 50 percent from that area for the second straight season. The Knicks are 29th in team midrange field goal percentage ahead of only the Houston Rockets. They’re really bad in case you didn’t know.
It’s true that Brunson has the luxury of playing with one of the league’s best players in Luka Doncic, but he’s proven he can create with the ball in his hands.
Brunson is once again a top ten pick and roll ball handler by the efficiency numbers this season, per NBA Stats. Also, just 30 percent of his makes this season have been assisted – via Cleaning the Glass. That’s in the 95th percentile for combo guards.
Brunson, 25, is a perfect blend of youth and experience. He was likely thought of as an older rookie at 22, but two National Championships made his four years at Villanova worth it. Someone who played high-pressure games at such a young age won’t be nervous about playing at the Garden. It never bothered that Carmelo Anthony guy.
Brunson’s old school offensive game is something that will immediately make him a fan favorite in New York.
Now that we’ve gotten all mushy let’s address the unfortunate problem at hand.
Jalen Brunson Isn’t Available – Yet
The chances of Dallas moving Brunson before the trade deadline are slim.
The Mavericks are coming off a six-game winning streak — in which they won ten of eleven games. If anything, that’s likely reignited their playoff hopes. They’re more likely to be buyers at the deadline than sellers.
It’s more likely the Knicks sign him in free agency. On The Lowe Post podcast, ESPN’s NBA Dallas reporter Tim McMahon stated that Jalen Brunson’s preference is to stay with the Mavs, but “he ain’t taking a discount to do it.” This isn’t a surprise following a January report from Bleacher Report that Brunson was seeking a four-year, $80 million deal this summer.
It’s hard to imagine Dallas shelling out $80 million to Brunson a year after giving $76 million to Tim Hardaway Jr. New York’s current cap situation prevents them from signing Brunson. If the cap sheet looks the same by free agency, then the Knicks will have much bigger problems than signing Jalen Brunson.
Conclusion
Reboots aren’t supposed to happen after one season, but the Julius Randle Knicks had their award-winning run, and the talk of any new player represents a spark for a future that is looking bleaker with each Randle-helmed loss.
But articles like this were meant to be on hold indefinitely. Unfortunately, the point guard spot is an issue once again.
The endless dilemma was meant to be solved – at least temporarily – by Kemba Walker. Instead, this season has been a nightmare for Walker and the Knicks. Even the most optimistic Kemba fan would’ve admitted that he was probably a short-term solution. The four-time All-Star was on the wrong side of 30 when the Knicks signed him six months ago.
Walker’s abrupt benching and disappointing return to the lineup have made it apparent that he is no longer a starting point guard in the NBA. On the other hand, Jalen Brunson has spent this season proving that he is one.
Stay tuned to KnicksFanTV.com for the latest Knicks news, rumors, and recaps throughout the 2021-22 NBA season. And in case you missed it, make sure to check out CP’s interview with Ryan McDonough, former General Managers of the Phoenix Suns, to get insight on how NBA teams maneuver the NBA Trade Deadline (at the top of this post).
