We interrupt your scheduled frustration over the New York Knicks’ missed opportunities galore against the Atlanta Hawks to propose a defensive tweak: It’s time for Mike Brown to put Jalen Brunson on…Onyeka Okongwu.
You’re reading that correctly. All of it.
Fallout from the New York Knicks’ Game 2 collapse against the Atlanta Hawks has predominantly focused on Mike Brown’s rotation patterns and late-game decision-making, the offense at large, and of course, everyone’s favorite did-not-attempt-enough-shots scapegoat, Karl-Anthony Towns.Â
Much less attention is being paid to the defense. Sure, CJ McCollum is now Public Enemy No. 1 in the Big Apple. But among 20 teams to make the postseason, New York is seventh in points allowed per possession. Mikal Bridges has largely neutralized Nickeil Alexander-Walker. Josh Hart is doing an admirable job against Jalen Johnson.
Still, entering the series, many wondered whether Brunson would get the McCollum assignment, and how it would go if he did. Well, he got it. And for the most part, it’s going poorly.Â
Jalen Brunson needs less time on CJ McCollum
Although the Hawks are averaging under a point per possession on plays where JB registers as a defender on CJ, this Game 2 matchup quickly devolved into untenable. Atlanta used McCollum to go after Brunson hard, oftentimes not even bothering to bake in a ball-screen.
The end results were nauseating. New York coughed up over 1.33 points per possession in the second half when Brunson and McCollum were both on the floor. CJ shot 2-of-6 from the field with JB off the court. When the Knicks’ captain was on, he went 10-of-16, doing a bulk of his work in the paint and from beyond the arc.
Though Brunson proved in Game 1 he could battle in these situations, New York needs to do a better job of insulating him against full-time duty. Even at his absolute best, JB doesn’t have the chops to handle guarding a primary ball-handler most of the time.Â
It also wouldn’t matter if he did. Brunson’s workload on offense remains gargantuan. Saddling him with a matchup that guarantees plenty of more usage at the other end runs the risk of exhausting him.
New York might be able to buy time with Brunson on Atlanta’s bigs
Conventional wisdom dictates Brunson get moved onto Dyson Daniels or, when he’s in the game, Jonathan Kuminga if he’s not covering McCollum. The Knicks have indeed shifted to those looks at times, particularly down the stretch of Game 2.Â
Still, if Brunson slides to one of them, it has a trickle-down effect. OG Anunoby would, of course, shimmy over to McCollum (something else the Knicks showed down the stretch of Game 2). That leaves Towns to handle Onyeka Okongwu, who has spent gobs of possessions stretching the defense into the corner. KAT has never been particularly suited to low-man duty. He’s best when activated.Â
New York runs into similar issues if it uses Brunson on Okongwu. At the same time, it dares the Hawks to involve their big man in more screening actions. And at that point, the Knicks could be more patterned with their switches, implement more scram switches, or more aggressively trap ball-handlers while having the backline cover for Okongwu’s rolling.
Make no mistake, it’s a risky gambit. The Knicks have the bodies to make it work. Towns and Hart will still be able to clean up on the glass. If Atlanta is compelled to continue hunting Brunson with more interplay between Okongwu and McCollum, it’s a win for the Knicks. Not only will Anunoby be more involved in the action, but Daniels’ screening and overall activity would be nuked, allowing New York to be more aggressive without how it uses Towns.
Look, this might be too extreme, and there’s no guarantee it works. But it gets Brunson off McCollum, not to mention catches the Hawks off guard. So, it’s worth a shot.
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