When the New York Knicks pulled the trigger on the deal to acquire Karl-Anthony Towns, the idea was to pair all-star point guard Jalen Brunson with one of the best big men in the NBA. The Knicks made the trade just a few weeks before the season in hopes of aiding them in their quest of winning a championship, and it seems they are getting great results from the trade.
Through five games of the 2024-25 NBA season, Brunson and Towns are already clicking, forming the league's most formidable point guard-big man duo and its one stat backs this claim.
The Knicks scored 1.69 points per direct possession when Karl-Anthony Towns set a ball screen for Jalen Brunson, according to Second Spectrum tracking, per John Schuman of NBA.com. That's the best mark among 47 combinations with at least 25 direct possessions out of the ball screen.
The Knicks are clicking behind Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns
Though it's only a small sample size, it's clear that the Knicks are benefiting from this dynamic pairing.
The Knicks saw great success with the pick-and-roll last season, with Brunson feeding the ball to Hartenstein, but with Towns coming off those screens, they reached a new level in their offense.
Towns' ability to pop off of screens set for Brunson has been what makes the Knicks offense so lethal during this early part of the season. Defenses would have to pick their poison on either guarding Brunson inside the paint or Towns behind the arc, which also generates open looks for Mikal Bridges and OG Anunoby, who are proven snipers from downtown.
The Knicks are reaping the benefits of this, 3-2 after a tough slate of games out of the gate including playing the NBA champion, Boston Celtics during opening day. They recently picked up a dominant 128-98 win over the Detroit Pistons behind the Brunson-Towns tandem.
Based on how well they are playing, it seems the Knicks may have found the key ingredients to help them win a championship.
