For most of the New York Knicks' series against the Atlanta Hawks, superstar Jalen Brunson has been inefficient on offense and targeted on defense. The second part is to be expected; as an undersized guard, this is the playoff reality Brunson has always faced and will continue to face.
But in order for that to not feel so detrimental to Brunson and the Knicks, the first part must be fixed. In other words, Brunson needs to be elite on offense for his porous defense not to feel like a game-changer for the team. Per ESPN Analytics, Brunson was a net negative in Game 4, and barely a net positive in games 2 and 3.
The silver lining here, of course, is that the Knicks showed they can win a game even when Brunson struggles. The overarching story, though, is that Brunson's inefficiency in this series (51% true shooting through four games) is compounded by his lack of defensive impact.
This is fixable — we know how explosive an offensive talent Brunson can be. But in a playoff atmosphere, and against a Hawks team playing with tons of confidence, it's not an easy task.
Brunson must find his rhythm even in a playoff atmosphere
One of the hardest things to do in the NBA Playoffs is score efficiently from the field. Fewer fouls are called, more contact is allowed, and defensive strategies center around taking opposing superstars out of their rhythm — which the Hawks are clearly trying to do.
But it doesn't matter. Brunson is the No. 1 option on a team that fired its coach after making the Eastern Conference Finals. This team obviously expects to make the NBA Finals, a fact made clear by firing their coach after he took them to the Eastern Conference Finals.
For that to happen, Brunson can't be a net neutral on the court. We know the defense is going to be a problem, but if the offense is MVP-level, as it often has been with him, then getting beaten off the dribble a few times doesn't feel so detrimental. But right now, Brunson's mediocrity in scoring efficiency and very clear deficiencies on defense are making it tough to envision this team making it out of the Eastern Conference. Luckily, a less-than-great Brunson through four games has only resulted in a tied series. Plenty of basketball left to play.
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