What Jalen Brunson, Knicks must fix to become legitimate title contenders

Yesterday at 04:52 PM

The New York Knicks continue to demonstrate some flaws. Sure, the referees played a role in the team’s most recent loss to the Houston Rockets, which coach Tom Thibodeau mused about in the postgame press conference. However, there were also some serious issues on display. Most of them are not entirely new, but the fact that they continue to plague the team should have those around the organization watching more closely for signs of progress.

Let’s outline which flaws we’re referencing before diving into each. From a high level, we’re talking about Karl-Anthony Towns’ shot attempts, Jalen Brunson playing hero ball, and the team failing to get back on defense.

Knicks must feature Karl-Anthony Towns in fourth quarter

The first one relates to Towns’ shot attempts. Simply put, the Knicks, once again, failed to feature Towns as much as they should have, especially considering how well he was playing. In their loss to the Houston Rockets, Towns was assertive and hit the boards hard, collecting 17 rebounds. He also ended the night with 17 points on 17 shot attempts.

Still, the Knicks and Brunson failed him, to an extent, in not looking for him more down the stretch. Seventeen attempts is fine, but not for a player of Towns’ caliber. Further, he shot only two three-pointers, compared to his 3.2 three-point attempts per game on the season. For what it’s worth, Towns averaged more than five three-point attempts last season. So, specifically, Towns’ teammates must look to him on the perimeter more. Otherwise, they’re wasting an elite skill that few around the league have at his position.

Ultimately, Towns needs more touches and attempts, especially in crunch time. And as a center, he needs to be spoon-fed opportunities, hence the earlier reference to Brunson failing him.

Jalen Brunson must trust teammates, especially in crunch time

The next issue has to do with Brunson, and it’s not the first time it’s been referenced this season. Simply put, Brunson played too much hero ball down the stretch against the Rockets, and that needs to change. He absolutely must look to pass, especially when his shot isn’t falling.

Against Houston, Brunson scored 29 points, but he shot just 9-for-24. That’s a measly 38% from the field. In fact, Brunson has shot below 40% from the field in three of the Knicks’ six games this season.

So, why keep shooting, again, when they’re not falling? Brunson is obviously at odds with how he’s being referred this season. He probably believes he’s entitled to more foul calls, and he’s probably right. But at some point, Brunson will have to adjust to the new reality of referees in the 2024-25 season. Fair or not, he cannot continue to force the issue with the refs. It only hurts him and his team. And with his presumably beefed-up supporting cast, he has a lot more firepower on which he can rely on.

Knicks must get back on defense

This one involves the entire team, but New York needs to either get back on defense more quickly or hammer home the idea of identifying good matchups as they run back on defense.

Technically, New York is the seventh-stingiest team in terms of surrendering transition points. They give up 13.2 points per game in transition, and they gave up 15 against the Rockets. That’s all close enough to what they did last season (13.7 per game). But it’s how and when they gave up the points that matter.

In their most recent loss to the Rockets, the Knicks were regularly caught flat-footed when Houston pushed the pace and forced, for example, Towns to match up with the faster Amir Thompson in transition.

The Knicks are a versatile defensive team. But that doesn’t mean they can assume that every player can guard any opposing player. For example, Towns can’t match up with faster, smaller players like Amen Thompson, which happened against Houston. Similarly, Miles McBride can’t stay with a center, which happens more than it should, too. That’s on Thibodeau to hammer home. But it has to happen sooner than later. And it really boils down to player awareness, communication, and desire.

Are these problems symptomatic of a bigger issue?

The Knicks are still 3-3, which is good for fourth place in the East. If you’re not used to hearing this already, you will be soon enough, but we all have to be patient as Towns, Brunson, and the rest of the team acclimate to one another.

Miles McBride had an unusually bad night, scoring zero points on 0-for-9 shooting against the Rockets. But he still registered a +10 in his 26 minutes of action. The back-and-forth of Ariel Hukporti and Jericho Sims is confusing, and Sims’ lack of defensive awareness was on full display in his 16 minutes of action against the Rockers, but a lot of that solves itself when Precious Achiuwa returns from injury, which should happen soon.

Still, these problems have to be resolved. This team deserves time to gel, However, title windows close quickly and randomly (look at the Milwaukee Bucks). So, if the Knicks don’t espouse before February, be on the lookout for Leon Rose to solve them for the team via a trade. But until then, let’s all be a little patient.

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