A clear shift in mindset from Jalen Brunson since the All-Star break is addressing one of the New York Knicks’ most frustrating warts: his chemistry with Karl-Anthony Towns.
Ever since Bodega KAT came over from the Minnesota Timberwolves, fans have correctly lamented the lack of synergy between him and the captain. Entering this season, their uneven and underutilized partnership was identified as one of the most pressing problems Mike Brown needed to fix. He didn’t. Not right away, at least.
Even now, as the two stars operate on similar wavelengths, their alliance isn’t perfect. But thanks to Brunson becoming more of a playmaker, the duo’s connectivity is at an all-time high.
Jalen Brunson is getting the ball to Karl-Anthony Towns more often
Coming out of the All-Star break, Brown has stressed the importance of finding ways to get and keep KAT involved in the offense, particularly when he’s guarded by smaller players. This has ranged from increasing his post-ups—he’s averaging about one extra post-up per 36 minutes since the All-Star break—to making sure he’s being found for more trail threes, as well as pick-and-pop/slip-and-pop triples.
Brunson is doing his part to sustain Towns’ increased involvement. The pick-and-roll chemistry still isn’t deployed in mass, but Brunson is doing a better job of changing his cadence coming around ball screens, and giving KAT a chance to dive if he doesn’t pop. This is in addition to tossing him more entry passes, or just generally tracking him more often from beyond the arc.
It’s a lovely thing when the numbers align with the eye test. That’s what is happening here.
About 26.2 percent of KAT’s baskets since the All-Star break have come off an assist from Brunson. That is more than double the 12.9 percent of Towns’ buckets Brunson assisted on prior to the midseason sabbatical.
This upswing isn’t just a matter of KAT shooting better off JB’s passes (which he is). Brunson is moving the ball to him more often, period. Around 17.4 percent of all his passes are going to Towns. That share could be larger. It should be larger. But it beats the 13.6 percent of Brunson’s passes that were previously going to KAT.
The Knicks aren’t yet reaping the benefits of the Brunson-KAT pairing
While there’s plenty of room for KAT and JB to flesh out more chemistry, what’s happening now is a good start. Plus, more than they need to deepen their own connection, the Knicks need to capitalize on the initial improvement they’re showing.
New York’s offensive rating with its two stars on the floor since the All-Star break (115.2) is significantly lower than it was beforehand (119.7). That isn’t on Brunson and KAT, per se. It’s more of a nod to the shaky returns from the starting lineup, and streaky three-point shooting from JB himself, and others on the roster.
Granted, this isn’t exactly a good sign. Mitchell Robinson shouldn’t be sounding like an emo kid when commenting on the team’s effort levels this late into the season. It’d be nice if the Knicks looked more prepared to start games, too.
Still, we've seen this movie before. These Knicks are equal parts Jekyll and Hyde. They tend to even out their bumpiest wrinkles in the end. With any luck, they’ll peak just in time for the playoffs—a scarier notion than it was before knowing that KAT and Brunson seem more inclined to lead a joint, rather than separate, existence.