Knicks are all-in on Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns in a way nobody expected

Mike Brown made a decision during the New York Knicks’ Game 1 victory over the Atlanta Hawks that’s become commonplace in recent weeks, but many weren’t sure he’d stick with: leave both Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns on the bench to start the second and fourth quarters.

If you needed any additional proof that this team is determined for its two stars to forge chemistry, this was it. 

Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns are spending more time together

Staggering KAT and JB used to be standard practice. Just 8.4 percent of the Knicks’ non-garbage-time possessions in the regular season came with both stars on the bench. 

To open the series against the Hawks, however, this share climbed to more than 16.3 percent. New York, in fact, logged almost as much time without both stars (eight minutes, 50 seconds) as it did with just one of them (nine minutes, 17 seconds).

This is not the norm. Staggering was, until recently, closer to the default. This way, the Knicks would also have at least one of their offensive fulcrums on the floor. 

At the same time, it was also a nod to Brunson and Towns operating on different wavelengths. For much of the season, neither consistently appeared to be at their best alongside the other. 

Joint stretches featured them leading separate existences, particularly when teams would move their bigs onto Josh Hart. New York defaulted to using Hart as the screener in those situations, winnowing down the interplay between Brunson and Towns, which wasn’t all that high in the first place.  

A visible shift began taking place to close the season. JB and KAT spent more of their time on the floor together post-All-Star break. Even more recently, New York has gone out of its way to have those two interact, including when defenses pull the center-on-Hart lever.  

Fittingly enough, this emphasis peaked during the Knicks’ final regular-season meeting with the Hawks. Brunson ran more pick-and-rolls with Towns in that game than any other tilt on the schedule. 

The Knicks are sending a powerful message about their faith in KAT and Brunson

Benching both stars to begin second and fourth quarters is one thing during the regular season. It is a bigger risk in the playoffs, when series outcomes can hinge on micro stretches, sometimes singular moments. 

By extension, this also makes it the utmost vote of confidence in the Brunson-Towns connection. Brown would not be spamming their collaborative minutes out of pure stubbornness, or an organizational mandate. This time of year, you do it because you believe in it—because you believe them, together, as a singular entity.

Time will tell whether this is the Knicks’ new default. It might not be. They won the no-star minutes in Game 1. That won’t always be the case. They don’t expect it to be, either. 

Extending stretches without both KAT and JB isn’t necessarily about what happens in those minutes. It’s about what goes down during the time they share the floor. 

In essence, New York is deciding, for perhaps the first time since they joined forces, Brunson and KAT are better off together. That's a big deal considering where they once were. It's even bigger deal if the Knicks are right.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow