Jalen Brunson's scoring has been discussed ad nauseam, and it should be. For the second playoffs in a row, Brunson is averaging 30+ points per game. For the second playoffs in a row, Brunson is averaging 10+ points in the fourth quarter of playoff games. Those numbers are incredible and deserve endless attention.
Something that hasn't been discussed at nearly the same length, although it should be getting more attention, is Brunson's ability to hold onto the ball. In the regular season, Brunson averaged a very respectable 2.5 turnovers per game. In the playoffs with heightened expectations and significantly more physicality, that number has not climbed at all.
Over four games, Brunson has turned the ball over a total of 10 times, with six of them being bad pass turnovers. Only one of those turnovers has occurred in the fourth quarter, when he was tied up by Jalen Duren with nine minutes to play in Game 2.
Brunson's ball security is elite
When you consider how much time Brunson spends with the ball in his hands as the lead guard, things get substantially more impressive. Brunson is the engine that powers the Knicks. He handles the ball essentially every possession when he is on the floor and is making high-pressure decisions in fractions of a second.
The only player in these playoffs who has spent more time with the ball in their hands than Brunson is Cade Cunningham. To add some perspective, if you added up the total time the other four members of the Knicks' starting lineup have held the ball, it totals just 1.8 minutes more than Brunson has.
While Brunson and Cunningham are both the offensive engines for their respective teams, the discrepancy between how often they turn the ball over relative to how often they have it is massive.
Looking at the 20 players who have held onto the ball for the longest total time these playoffs, Brunson commits the fourth-fewest turnovers per minute of possession, while Cunningham commits the fourth-most.
It is not simply that he doesn't turn the ball over, but he also is creating for others. Brunson racks up 9.5 potential assists for every bad pass turnover he commits. That is good for the ninth-best ratio so far this playoffs, when looking at players who had at least 25 potential assists.
Brunson and Knicks look to close out Detroit at Home
Brunson and the Knicks will look to end Detroits' season in Madison Square Garden in Game 5.
If the Knicks are able to end the series, it will be the first time they have closed out a series on their home turf in 26 years. You read that right, the last time the Knicks ended a series in MSG was 1999, when they defeated the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference Finals.
Whether or not the decisive blow is served on their home court, if it is to come, Brunson's ball security and play-making will be as big of a factor as his scoring.