Analysis: Knicks didn't land superstar, but Jalen Brunson should help
Jalen Brunson #11 of the Knicks looks on against the Detroit Pistons at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday, Oct. 4, 2022. Credit: Jim McIsaac
For the Knicks, the summer was marred by trade rumors and uncertainty. But they made it through the preseason without the drama and healthy, and it seemed as if every piece was fitting into the best-case scenarios.
But as the Knicks learned last season, best-case scenarios often are a figment of their imagination as players stumbled, injuries occurred and COVID struck the roster.
In addition, parts of the front office and coaching staff were at odds as fingers were pointed in blame for the 37-45 season. The draft picks accumulated were put on the table — along with RJ Barrett — in efforts to land a star. That came up empty, and the only deals made were efforts to unload mistakes from last summer.
Still, with last season still fresh in their memory and the failed efforts to land Donovan Mitchell haunting them, there is optimism. Not the kind of optimism that contenders hold, but at least a sense that there is some normalcy back at Madison Square Garden. Baby steps.
While the Knicks missed out on Mitchell, they did bring Jalen Brunson on board. Though his size and resume may not scream “star,’’ he has shown from the start of camp that he provides a fit much needed by a team that disappointed last season.
“He just makes the game easy,” Julius Randle said. “I’ve said it all the time, he’s such a smart player. He understands rhythm and flow of the game, how to look for guys in certain situations, how to go get his own, so he’s a really good player.
“He’s a basketball player. I think you can put him anywhere and he will play really well. Just because he understands the game so well. He’s a really good player, obviously. But he’s a good person, a good human being at the core of him. So I said it Day 1, he’s going to be great for our team, but he’s going to be even better for our locker room.”
“He’s a connector,” said Indiana coach Rick Carlisle, who coached him for three seasons in Dallas. “He was involved in a lot of off-the-court things that our guys were doing when I was there. It’s just part of his natural understanding of the game. He’s a guy that understands what winning takes. It takes a certain kind of vibe, a certain level of sacrifice. An all-in level of everything. He’s going to walk the talk. He’s going to be a guy that’s doing all the things that you need to do.”
Brunson gives the Knicks a third piece alongside Randle and RJ Barrett in the starting lineup to create offense, and all three have opened up to sharing the ball. Randle spoke of watching European basketball this summer to study passing and spacing. Barrett has shot better, and it looks as if Brunson can unlock another level in Barrett’s game after the Knicks ended the trade talk and handed him a $107 million contract extension.
If Randle returns to form, Barrett continues to grow, Brunson elevates in a larger role and the bench, led by a healthy Derrick Rose, give the Knicks depth to make up for the lack of star power, they could be, well, a team that slips into the back edges of the playoff seeding.
But there are so many questions, too. Will Quentin Grimes emerge at some point as a starter? Can Evan Fournier flourish on the perimeter with the rest of the Knicks’ interior weapons? Does Obi Toppin live up to the hopes of the fan base with the return of Rose and the addition of Isaiah Hartenstein creating opportunities? And what if the Knicks’ top players don’t step up after last season?
“It’s definitely an extra motivation, getting a taste of what the playoffs are like, falling short in that, and to not end up where we wanted to last year,” Barrett said on the first day of camp. “I think we’re coming with even more experience, even more hungry, a lot of guys with something to prove, myself included, I have everything to prove. That’s my mindset and I definitely think we’re going to shock the world.”
“All that stuff, it doesn’t matter,” coach Tom Thibodeau said. “It doesn’t matter what all the experts say. You’re going to be this or you’re going to be that. It doesn’t matter. Only thing that matters is what we think. That’s the only thing that matters.”
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.
