
Jalen Brunson emerged as the second banana on a conference finals team last season. Now, heās in the proverbial driverās seat in New York. The Knicks have been in desperate need of a real point guard for god knows how long, so Brunsonās arrival has been a breath of fresh air ā and a prime example of his talent under a bigger, brighter spotlight.
No longer playing off of Luka Doncic, one of the highest-usage guards in recent NBA history, Brunson now has far more freedom to create off the dribble. Heās paying off the Knicksā investment on multiple fronts, averaging a career-high in points and assists. His basketball I.Q. and veteran poise are critical for a New York team that can often fall out of rhythm. While Brunsonās advanced age (26) is a mark against him in the context of this re-draft, his additional experience is well reflected in his performance.
In a league that can often punish smaller guards, the 6-foot-1 Brunson gets by with an impressive combination of craft and brute force. Heās strong, capable of bumping taller defenders off their spots to create space. When confronted with length inside, Brunson has a deep bag of tricks to fall back on. Pump fakes, hesitation moves, floaters, fadeaways ā itās hard for a defender to properly time their contest when Brunson decides to attack.
Certain defensive matchups can still cause problems for Brunson, but he competes hard at the point of attack and is comfortable defending guards several inches taller than him. Brunson just plays winning basketball, and his competitive track record dates back to well before his NBA debut in 2018.