In typical Jalen Brunson fashion, he blamed himself after the New York Knicks' loss to the Cavaliers on Monday.
Karl-Anthony Towns took eight shots from the field; only two were three-pointers. He finished with 13 points, the lowest out of the starting lineup. The most shot attempts KAT attempted in the first three games was 11 against the Pacers. Towns didn't take more than two three-point attempts in those three games.
Brunson said it was on him "as a teammate" that KAT took only eight shots against Cleveland. He said he needed to "be better."
"As good as Karl is, no one can really take him out of a game. It's on us–it's on me as a teammate–to make sure we're all on the same page & everyone's eating. I gotta be better when it comes to that, I gotta adjust & I gotta see"
— New York Basketball (@NBA_NewYork) October 29, 2024
–– Jalen Brunson on KAT taking only 8 shots pic.twitter.com/T7iCN7ZzNy
Jalen Brunson posts season-high nine assists in Knicks win over Heat
In Wednesday's 116-107 win over the Heat, Brunson's actions matched his words. The offense ran through Towns to start the game. In the first half, Brunson shot 1-of-7 for four points, but he did post five assists. Meanwhile, Towns scored 24 points in the first two quarters, which was already a season-high for him.
Brunson's shot started to fall in the second half, as he finished with 22 points on 6-of-18 shooting from the field. What stood out from the point guard's stat line was his season-high nine assists. He went into the game with a plan, and he executed it.
Towns had his best game with the Knicks, scoring 44 points on 17-of-25 shooting from the field and 4-of-5 from three. He made history in the process.
Last night, Karl-Anthony Towns scored the most points in a game by a Knicks starting center since Patrick Ewing. pic.twitter.com/ssBPZNZIWK
— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) October 31, 2024
New York posted a season-high 40 three-point attempts in the win. The Knicks average 31.3 deep attempts per game, the 25th lowest in the NBA. However, New York has the third-highest three-point percentage in the league at 40%. Towns and the Knicks must continue getting up shots from behind the perimeter. Brunson can help make that happen.
Will every game be like Wednesday's, where Brunson shoots 33% from the field? No. He's shooting 44% from the field on the season. If Brunson's shot falls early, he needs to keep shooting, but that doesn't mean he should overlook his teammates. New York needs KAT to be more involved offensively. After all, he is the best shooting big in the league.
Brunson and Towns are still getting used to one another, and KAT is still getting used to his new team. The Knicks are building the chemistry that will help their offense flow. Towns's 44 points propelled New York to a win and helped his confidence. KAT needed that.