Jalen Brunson taking pressure off Julius Randle, other Knicks
Knicks guard Jalen Brunson controls the ball ahead of Orlando Magic guard Cole Anthony in the first half of an NBA basketball game at Madison Square Garden on Monday, Oct. 24, 2022. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
Sitting next to Jalen Brunson at a table for interviews after Monday night’s win over the Orlando Magic, Julius Randle brought up the word “fun” to describe what he’s feeling this season. And that, maybe more than the slimmed-down physique or aggressive play, is an early positive sign for Randle and the Knicks.
Fun wasn’t a way to describe anything that Randle went through last season as he found himself at odds with the hometown fan base, signaling his displeasure through a thumbs-down gesture and then clarifying it with profanity directed at the Madison Square Garden crowd. He often seemed sullen and disconnected, wandering outside of team huddles and isolating himself on the court.
But this season he has been noticeably outgoing in his leadership, vocal on the court and high-fiving teammates in huddles. And more than that, with the pressure to create much of the offense lifted off his shoulders with the arrival of Brunson, Randle and his teammates have, at least through the first three games, been off and running, sharing the ball and load.
“I'm just trying to lose myself in the team,” Randle said. “Lean on guys like [Brunson], RJ [Barrett], just play for my team. The only thing that matters is winning. That's all I care about.
“Adding Jalen, our team another year starting playing together helps. But the big shot he hit in crunch time [Monday], typically they're looking for me to go get a basket. For him to take that pressure off me is huge.”
It isn’t just the arrival of Brunson and it isn’t just Randle who has changed. While the Knicks seemed plodding at times last season with an occasional burst from Obi Toppin off the bench, the pace has sped up and Toppin’s runs for fast breaks are often accompanied by teammates. Randle has been on the run and there was a play Monday where Brunson flung a pass ahead to Toppin, who in one motion caught it and dropped a no-look bounce pass behind him for Barrett, who was running with him, for a dunk.
“It’s contagious. It’s like one person going to the gym at night; another person is going to come,” Toppin said. “Then two people, then it’s going to double, and then everybody’s going to start coming in. It’s just a contagious thing. You keep doing little things; other people are going to do it, as well, even if it’s something little, like running the floor. It opens up a lot of opportunities for shooters or you're going to be open. So, I feel like we run the floor now, play fast and that’s what’s helping us a lot.”
Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said that Randle being more free is not only helping his numbers — like the 25-point, 12-rebound effort Monday — but also opening up opportunities for others.
“I think it’s a compilation of things,” Thibodeau said. “I think Jalen’s a big part of it. I think him running the floor the way he’s running the floor, him moving without the ball the way he’s moving, it’s creating where teams can’t lock into him. He can use his speed, he can use his quickness, he can use his power and when he beats people down the floor, those layups — we need those layups. And oftentimes, he may not even get it but it’s created such a force on their defense, they collapse and it opens up wide-open threes or different opportunities.”
Steve Popper covers the Knicks for Newsday. He has spent nearly three decades covering the Knicks and the NBA, along with just about every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.
