How Does Jalen Brunson Fit On The New York Knicks?

Last year, it was presumed that the Knicks had finally found their answer at point guard. The signing of Kemba Walker was more than a homecoming— it was the fan’s vision of a ball handler that could provide the boost the team needed to make some noise in the Eastern Conference. Finally, fans exclaimed, the fruitless journey searching for a guard could end in the pomp and circumstance that New York could bring to the hometown kid.

Unfortunately, it didn’t play out that way. Walker struggled to the point that he sat out the 2nd half of the season. The team improved defensively without him, and he was dumped on draft night in order to wash away a failed marriage.

That context is needed in order to establish that, even though these words may sound and feel eerily similar, the situation is entirely different.

Jalen Brunson is the answer at point guard for the New York Knicks.

The Knicks offseason is unlikely to spark many more moves. It’s entirely possible the franchise decides to jettison a couple of the veterans to different homes in order to open up more playing time for the younger players on the team, but that is entirely a hypothetical at this point. Without that happening, here is the current projected roster and lineup as the team currently stands:

Starting Lineup:

Bench:

It’s important to lay out the roster construction in conjunction with the addition of Brunson to see the ways in which he fits in not only from a talent perspective, but from how the group coalesces on the court.

What does Brunson do well?

Brunson is a bowling ball of a guard. He only sits at 6’1 but he is constantly utilizing his strength and quickness to take advantage of mismatches. This was on display throughout the playoffs as he would draw out the smallest guard and beat him in isolation time and time again.

He averaged four possessions per game in the playoffs on that play type and scored rather efficiently, producing better than Jimmy Butler, Jaylen Brown and Luka Doncic in isolation. His array of moves makes it likely that it’s a sustainable way for him to win, even if he didn’t rely on it nearly as often during the regular season.

Brunson is one of the best finishers in the league at the basket. He has finished above the 90th percentile in field goal percentage at the rim per his position during the past two seasons and has done so while taking a healthy dose of shots at the bucket. The word that comes to mind with Brunson is craftiness because of his ability to utilize his wiggle and ball handling to get to where he needs to go. He has an array of deft finishes that combine his ability to utilize his body to create space and touch around the basket after creating that contact.

Brunson can shoot well from deep. He’s a lifetime 37% shooter from three, even if the majority of his looks have come on wide open opportunities. The former Maverick benefitted from the looks he got from Doncic and canned a whopping 41.6% of his catch and shoot attempts over the past two seasons.

How does this apply to the Knicks?

The Knicks often relied on Alec Burks to be the de facto point guard last year, which ultimately led to them having a disjointed offense that moved at a snail’s pace. Brunson was similarly hamstrung, at times, by the slowed nature of Doncic’s game, but his arrival to New York should allow both sides to bloom. He has a strong handle and can get the offense moving with some pace in the starting lineup, a problem that became glaring when the backup unit posted gaudy numbers night after night for New York.

The Knicks ranked as the 4th worst team in shooting percentage at the rim. Burks exemplified the inability to finish with one of the strangest statistical accomplishments(?) in recent memory:

Brunson should be a huge boon to that, even if he may be working with a more cramped court with Robinson hanging around the rim at all times. Robinson’s opportunity to get lob opportunities from a driving guard should offset any worries about the center negatively impacting the offense, though.

The ability to win in isolation is a major plus for a team that simply was the worst crunch time team in the NBA. The Knickerbockers had a net rating of -24.1 in 154 minutes of crunch time. It led to them drastically underperforming their expected win total, and it was a problem that was not going to get any better unless a change was made with the personnel.

What issues may arise?

Brunson is going to fit in wonderfully with the team, but he isn’t a dynamo 3-point shooter that can pull up on a dime. He probably won’t take more than a few shots from deep, and that reluctance could help further constrict the spacing that the starting lineup already seems to be facing.

The biggest issue may be with how he fits in with Randle. Ultimately, Randle’s future with the team seems rocky, at best, so signing a productive player that may not ultimately fare well with the polarizing power forward is not an impediment if his future is murky.

Adding good players via free agency shouldn’t be met with a “classic Knicks” retort, which has been common among some. They finally addressed an area of need that has been an issue for years.

It’s time to praise them for finally addressing it— for real this time.