Jalen Brunson has been an all-in-one, does everything type of offensive engine for the last several seasons with the New York Knicks. Now, he's beginning to come to the realization that he'll be able to achieve an even greater level of success by leaning more into playing off the ball.
Of course, part of the reason this is the case is the new offensive system Mike Brown has been implementing since he arrived in Manhattan. On media day two weeks ago, Brown expressed to the gathered media members that it's his intention to get Brunson more easy shots, and at times that's going to look like having him play off the ball and incur a lower usage rate.
Ultimately, many of the best scores at the highest level of basketball will eventually reach a point where they have a need to do more off the ball. Catching and shooting, cutting, making smart reads and spotting up, all because defenses will scheme to limit their creation.
It sounds like Brunson has already begun adjusting to making this change within the processes of offseason training habits, training camp, and preseason basketball. Should he implement these adjustments while still leaning into the skills that make him great, this is going to have the potential to really level up Jalen's overall output as a player.
Playing off the ball will only make Brunson more dangerous
When defenses load up on Brunson with double teams and aggressive hedging, having him be less ball dominant will help for him to avoid traps and stay in something of a more regular rhythm. And at the end of the day, the ability to punish defenses even when not being a primary offensive initiator is a hallmark of an elite guard.
Over the course of an entire season, having Jalen do less dribbling and creating fewer heavily contested attempts off the dribble is going to ultimately lead to better efficiency, fewer turnovers, and likely lead to the preservation of his body as well. This will allow Brunson to preserve extra energy for certain crunch-time moments, or situations where the Knicks need him to go and get a bucket.
Overall, this was a necessary element to the evolution of Jalen Brunson's game. The greatest players don't dominate purely with self-creation. They evolve to carry the kinds of roles that better suit their team's context and make them less one-dimensional over time. That's precisely what Brunson is doing, and New York will be better for it.