Jalen Brunson’s playoff performance is impossible for Knicks to ignore
By Adam Kester
The Knicks are watching Jalen Brunson erupt
In five games so far in the series, Brunson is averaging:
- 28.6 points per game
- 5.2 rebounds per game
- 4.6 assists per game
Brunson had to carry a heavy load with Luka Doncic out early in the series. In the regular season, Brunson averaged 20.4 points and 7.5 assists without Doncic in the lineup. He is starting to prove that he can be a central part of an NBA offense.
Brunson has been seen as a solid player for a while now, but it’s just recently that he began to tap into this higher level that he’s been playing at. Maybe this is just who he is.
It’s a classic sports cliche that maybe doesn’t deserve to be a cliche and gets blown out of proportion. The cliche of the playoff performer in a contract year getting a big payday and never reaching that level again. I feel like Bismack Biyombo is always the one player who gets brought up in this conversation.
With Brunson, it just doesn’t seem flukey. He’s quick, he’s shifty, he can score at all three levels, and he’s found ways to make an impact at all stages of the game, which is an incredibly difficult task for anyone in a playoff series.
Watching him be this high-end guard in the postseason and knowing he will be an unrestricted free agent has to be enticing.
Brunson is 25-years-old. He is just hitting his prime now. The ties to the Knicks organization are well documented. From his dad being a former player to Leon Rose being both Jalen and his dad’s agent at different points, a lot is tying Brunson to New York.
While signing an ascending guard to their roster may seem like a no-brainer, there are certainly some reasons the Knicks should proceed with caution.