Jalen Brunson is the best player in the New York Knicks’ playoff series against the Detroit Pistons. The All-Star guard has proven himself to be an elite scorer and playmaker since arriving in New York.
However, one Western Conference scout, who was speaking to ESPN’s Tim Bontemps, believes that Brunson’s style of play actually hinders the Knicks once postseason basketball begins.
“Jalen’s foul hunting and holding the ball has really caught up with them,” The West scout said. “There’s only so much you can do. That’s a recipe to win a lot of regular-season games, but it’s a huge load to carry on a nightly basis for playoff-heavy minutes when defenses have adjusted and loaded up. KAT and [OG Anunoby] have to play a role, and it’s hard when [Brunson] has the ball in his hands so much of the time.”
Brunson has one of the highest usage rates in the NBA. New York’s offense often flows through Brunson, either by him running the pick-and-roll or leaning into his scoring gravity to space the floor. However, as the scout noted, the Knicks do need to play at a higher pace, which is something Tom Thibodeau’s team did during its game three win over Detroit.
Karl-Anthony Towns is Starting to Shine for Knicks
On Thursday, April 24, Karl-Anthony Towns was the best player on the floor. He helped the Knicks secure their second win against the Pistons with 31 points, eight rebounds, one assist, one steal and two blocks. He shot 10-of-18 from the floor.
When speaking to the media after the game, Thibodeau praised Towns’ versatile skill set.
“He’s seen that all year,” Thibodeau said. “Usually, he’s going to get a mix of guys, he’s going to get different looks. I think he’s comfortable playing inside and outside. A smaller guy goes on him, he goes into the post. A bigger guy goes on him, he takes him away from the basket. You can catch-and-shoot with him. You can pick-and-roll with him. There’s a lot of different things you can do with him. Just recognize that and play off each other.”
The Knicks acquired Towns last summer. New York’s front office undoubtedly sees him as an essential part of their quest to win a championship. If he can replicate his game-three performance, New York should be a problem throughout the entire playoffs.
Knicks Urged to Lean on P.J. Tucker
In an April 17 episode of his “7 PM in Brooklyn” podcast, Kincks’ legend Carmelo Anthony called for P.J. Tucker to be inserted into the playoff series against Detroit.
“We got to be ready to crash out in a way, controlled crash out,” Anthony said. “If [head coach Tom Thibodeau] utilized PJ, you could throw PJ in there to go battle [Jalen] Duren and [Isaiah] Stewart. P’s ready, that’s his type of game. He loves that type of physical [stuff], he loves when the game just goes and he can [mess] somebody up…He also knows the playoffs, he knows how to navigate. I just hope gets a shot. At least give him a shot.”
Tucker would provide a new level of physicality on the wings. Detroit is one of the most physical teams in the NBA. If Thibodeau wants to match that physicality at any point during the series, Tucker would be a smart option off the bench.
For now, though, New York is one game away from taking full control of that series, and that has to be the priority heading into game four on Sunday, April 27.
