3 Jalen Brunson stats that New York Knicks fans will love
By Adam Kester
Jalen Brunson is smart with the ball
Because Brunson is more of a “score first” lead guard rather than a “true point guard” (I am also sick of having to classify guards into specific roles), there may be a false perception from some that he isn’t really a great orchestrator of team offense. That he’s someone who can find offense for himself, but not necessarily his teammates.
Brunson has the ball on a string and it gives him the ability to deliver some pinpoint passes. He makes a lot of “point guard passes,” whips passes around his head, kick-outs to open shooters, and alley-oops to rolling big men.
Jalen Brunson throws the oop where only KP can get it!
— NBA (@NBA) January 16, 2022
Watch the @dallasmavs on NBA League Pass: https://t.co/oz9UCQxdQa pic.twitter.com/LCzEQePbv9
He’s also careful with the ball. Brunson had an assist/turnover ratio of 3.04. Among qualified guards, that ranked 15th out of 131 players. If you take a closer look at that list, the only guards with a better assist/turnover ratio who actually handled the ball as much as Brunson were Chris Paul, Tyrese Maxey, Dejounte Murray, Terry Rozier, and Tyrese Haliburton.
The New York Knicks weren’t a high turnover team last season, but that was largely due to their slow, low-risk offense. Incorporating Brunson into a prominent role as the team’s starting point guard could have a pretty big impact. Not only is he attacking the rim and scoring efficiently, but he’s taking care of the ball. His 4.8 assists per game from last season could have a sizable spike with the Knicks.
Given all of these outstanding stats about Brunson’s scoring, driving, and ball-management, a fringe All-Star level could absolutely be in the cards next year. Is somewhere around 21 points and 7 assists per game on outstanding efficiency out of the question? It doesn’t seem like it. Brunson is on the verge of hitting his basketball prime, and it will happen in the world’s most famous arena.
