New York Knicks superstar Jalen Brunson has shot 39.6 percent from the field and 34.5 percent from beyond the arc during the 2026 NBA Finals. If you ask his critics, the Knicks have had to overcome his shooting woes. Those who have watched the games, however, have seen how Brunson's efficiency is not quite as relevant as it seems.
Brunson may be shooting inefficiently against Victor Wembanyama and the defensive-minded San Antonio Spurs, but beyond the numbers, he's the ultimate gravity player.
Brunson has spent the 2026 NBA Finals finding holes in a Spurs defense that didn't seem to have any. No matter where he's received the ball, all five of San Antonio's players seem to know where he is and shift their positioning accordingly.
The Spurs have even pulled Defensive Player of the Year and interior anchor Victor Wembanyama out of the paint to consistently pick Brunson up along the perimeter.
JALEN BRUNSON NO WAY pic.twitter.com/eqWjP97Pb6
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) June 11, 2026
As if that weren’t enough, the Spurs are guarding Brunson from 94 feet. They not only bring one player to pick him up off of inbound passes, but typically have another waiting to attempt to trap the All-NBA point guard.
Other Knicks players have been brilliant in their own individual ways, but Brunson’s gravity has opened up an almost infinite number of doors.
Jalen Brunson's gravity creates openings for all of his teammates
With Wembanyama pulled out to the perimeter, a swing pass to a slasher like OG Anunoby becomes even more lethal. Wembanyama must make up ground to get back to where he can ideally contest a drive, and though he's unrivaled in his ability to do so, Anunoby has become the ultimate cheat code.
Anunoby isn't attacking with layups that Wembanyama can find a way to redirect—he's using his power to get all the way to the rim and finish with powerful dunks.
When the pass instead goes to Karl-Anthony Towns, similar adjustments must be made. A smaller defender is typically placed on the All-Star center, which makes Wembanyama have to make up ground again—but Towns is a willing passer who can quickly initiate a series of dishes to ultimately find an open shooter.
Anunoby and Towns are the stars of their own plays, of course, but Brunson's ability to attract endless attention has prevented San Antonio from establishing a consistent form on defense.
Jalen Brunson sets the tone then dominates the fourth quarter
When Wembanyama stays on Brunson, the Knicks superstar can either pass out or bury a jumper in his face—as he's done several times in this series. When the Spurs instead match one of their high-level perimeter defenders against Brunson, his craftiness enables him to get into the paint and make any number of decisions about where the ball should go.
By the time the final frame has rolled around, the Knicks have worn the Spurs down and Brunson takes over. If you really need stats: 10.3 points per fourth quarter on .484/.429/.889 shooting.
It would certainly fit nicely into a neat little box if Brunson were shooting a higher percentage overall, but the Knicks have enlisted a consistent strategy for a reason. They trust him to make the right read, much as he trusts his teammates to be stars themselves.
Whether or not Brunson shoots as efficiently as his critics would like him to, the bottom line is that he makes winning plays in pivotal moments. And now he has the Knicks one game from a championship.
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