Andre Drummond’s up-and-down performance to open the season is making just about everyone nostalgic for Mitchell Robsinson. If it hasn’t already, this longing for the past will eventually mutate into hope that a trade is coming down the pipeline.
Jalen Brunson should be at the front of that figurative line. Drummond’s arrival has hit him harder than anyone, unnecessarily complicating his life on offense.
Everything from his passing options and driving lanes to the quality of his shots and his overall efficiency are being adversely impacted. Worse still, short of more frequently deploying OG Anunoby as the de facto center, the Knicks may not have an internal solution beyond their go-to fix: counting on Brunson to figure it out.
Andre Drummond is hurting Jalen Brunson’s offense
It took fewer than two games for Mike Brown to realize New York isn’t built to stick Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns on the bench at the same time. He has adjusted his rotation accordingly, which naturally leaves JB to headline staggered-star units alongside Drummond.
Sure, the Knicks have outscored their opponents by a total of seven points in the time Brunson and Drummond have played together. But those returns are heavily influenced by the plus-13 New York notched with them on the floor against the (Jalen Duren-less) Detroit Pistons. Even with the positive point differential, the offense has scored at a clip comparable to a bottom-10 attack.
Brunson’s own shooting slump is part of the story. He has and will continue to shoot better as he works his way all the way back from offseason wrist surgery.
Still, exchanging Robinson’s vertical spacing for Drummond’s slower rolling and clumsier finishing around the rim is making Brunson easier to guard in the half-court. He isn’t nearly as open coming around screens, and Drummond isn’t as adept at avoiding his live-dribble paths when both are breaking the paint.
New York’s offense encountered similar issues, at times, with the Brunson-Robinson partnership. But not to this extent.
Just 10.1 percent of Brunson’s jumpers outside 10 feet qualify as wide-open this season, down from 11.7 percent last year. His two-point efficiency has dipped off by five percentage points alongside Drummond, whereas it fell by 1.9 points next to Robinson.
Brunson’s playmaking outlets are suffering, too. Drummond is neither a traditional lob target nor reliable pick-and-roll finisher. Where Robinson shot 73 percent at the rim when he played with JB, Drummond is converting just 58.8 percent of his looks at the hoop—a number that somehow, someway, drops by 13 points when Brunson’s on the bench.
The Knicks need to find Jalen Brunson an alternative option
Some of this will prove to be early-season noise. Brunson’s field-goal attempts won’t get any easier, but he’s hard-wired to drill difficult shots.
That’s not exactly comforting, though. If the goal isn’t to simplify Brunson’s life, it should at least be not to overcomplicate it. Drummond’s presence is doing the exact opposite.
In the absence of dependable pick-and-roll chemistry, Brunson is more reliant on taking deeper threes and drawing more fouls than he had to with Mitch. Even if this is sustainable, it’s far from ideal.
It’s also not readily solvable.
James Wiseman doesn’t look ready for a real role. Karl-Anthony Towns’ propensity for foul trouble won’t allow the Knicks to extend his minutes. OG Anunoby is so far failing to absorb more of the offensive usage, which would at least allow Brunson to spend more time off-ball. And Mike Brown appears unwilling to stress test OG-at-the-5 lineups with any meaningful volume.
All of which leaves the Knicks right where they’ve been all along: in genuine need of trading for another center. Only now, their primary motivation isn’t just upgrading from Drummond and Wiseman.
It’s for Jalen Brunson’s sake.
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