Brandon Jennings
Brandon Jennings entered this game with an average of 6.2 points in 20.6 minutes on a slash line of .328/.281/.739. It wasn’t just a matter of Jennings shooting poorly; he shied away from quality shot attempts throughout the first 11 games.
Though the result wasn’t ideal for the team, it was nothing short of exhilarating to see Jennings embrace his scoring prowess in the fourth quarter of the loss to Washington.
Jennings finished with a season-high 17 points, 10 assists, five rebounds, three offensive boards, and one steal in 24 minutes. He shot 7-of-10 from the field and went 3-of-5 from beyond the arc in his first display of confidence as a scorer with the Knicks.
In a game that the Knicks lost by seven points, Jennings somehow managed to record a +/- of +19 in his 24 minutes of court time.
Jennings doesn’t need to post a nightly double-double, but he must remain confident in his scoring prowess. He’s passed out of layups and open jump shots throughout the 2016-17 season, and it wasn’t until the New York Knicks were down double-digits against Washington that he shot freely.
Jennings’ creativity and value as a facilitator is immense, but the Knicks need more games like this from a scoring perspective.