Knicks ready to follow Jalen Brunson anywhere
The Knicks' Jalen Brunson lines up a pass past Toronto Raptors' Jamal Shead during the first half of an NBA Cup basketball game in Toronto on Tuesday. Credit: AP/Sammy Kogan
TORONTO — It would be a stretch to say that the fans around the court at Scotiabank Arena provided any sort of fire to Jalen Brunson since by the time they began berating him for flopping he already was midway through almost singlehandedly carrying the Knicks through the first quarter.
But it could serve as a warning. Adding one more mental building block to his game, one more log to the fire of his intensity, is probably not a great idea.
While the Knicks are still finding their way through the new system, acclimating to new head coach Mike Brown and settling into roles, Brunson has done what he has done since arriving in New York — frustrating opponents as much as opposing fans with an assortment of unstoppable moves, elite footwork and otherworldly shooting ability.
With the Knicks facing the pressure of a hyped-up crowd on the road and trying to shake off two straight exits in this quarterfinal round of the NBA Cup, they were in danger of falling apart early Tuesday night against the Raptors. Toronto was already piling up points and Karl-Anthony Towns was hit with early foul trouble, which sent him to the bench. But that just happened to be a front row seat to watch Brunson perform.
"He’s just special,” Towns said. “I’ve said it before. When you have one of the best players in the NBA on your team and you get to see him doing what he does at a high level it’s always fun. Yeah, unfortunately, I had a front-row seat to watch it, but it was cool. It was cool to watch. It was cool to watch and not having to be thinking if maybe he misses it. But he wasn’t missing it.”
"Ball was going through the hoop,” Brunson said. “They went on a run and I was just trying to keep us in it.”
Hours before game time the Raptors had coaches working with Ja’Kobe Walter, who would have to play a key role with Immanuel Quickley sidelined with an illness, and they were trying to mimic Brunson’s offensive arsenal to prep Walter. But few NBA players and no coaches are able to come close to the precision.
So when the game began Brunson took over from the very start, pouring in 20 first-quarter points, allowing the Knicks to remain in striking distance — down 39-35 after one quarter. He’d finish with 35 points and once he’d proven to be too much for Walter or any single defender and the Raptors began sending multiple defenders at him to try to get the ball out of his hands, he gave it up and opened up easy opportunities for his teammates.
“They came out and kind of hit us in the mouth to start the game,” Brown said. “They were physical on both ends of the floor, really pressuring the ball and getting up in the passing lanes, trying to make it difficult for us offensively. We were kind of stuck in mud a little bit on that end of the floor, and Jalen did what he was supposed to do. He bailed us out offensively in that first quarter. We were able to score with them, or keep it close, because Jalen had a big first quarter, which he’s obviously more than capable of doing. That’s just who he is, when you’re talking about MVP candidate of the league.”
Brunson wouldn’t talk about the exchange with the fans afterward other than to acknowledge it happened. But that it did and that he shrugged it off and continued to do what was needed is the identity that the Knicks have been for years and are beginning to show again.
The Knicks have seemed to struggle and admitted at times that they are still navigating their way, but they enter the NBA Cup semifinals Saturday with a 17-7 record and wins in eight of their last nine games. And Brunson is ninth in the NBA in scoring at 28.3 points per game.
“I know this sounds crazy, but we still have a lot of room to grow on both sides of the ball,” Brown said. “We can be an extremely high-level defensive team. Two of our top defenders in Landry (Shamet) and Deuce (McBride) are out. They’re phenomenal on the ball and they bring a level of physicality on the ball that not many guys in the league can bring. We can be a phenomenal defensive team, and then the weapons and skillset we have offensively, we can be a phenomenal offensive team as well. I don’t think it’ll be just one side of the ball. I think we have a chance to be a high level team on both sides. It’ll be interesting when we get there.”
The Knicks have been trying to get to these next levels since Brunson arrived with two appearances in the Eastern Conference semifinals and then advancing to the conference finals last season. The aspirations are higher now and in the NBA Cup, maybe one chance to show a hint that they can get there behind Brunson.
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.
