The Jalen Brunson Effect

The Knicks' new point guard is already proving to be well worth the investment and a step towards making the Knicks a viable franchise for years to come

There is something about hard times that makes good times feel foreign. And when those good times come, the muscle memory of difficulties and hardships tends to kick in. As Knicks fans, we have not known elite point guard play for a very long time. We would see other teams with floor generals leading them to the promised land and stare from a distance like a poor person looking longingly at an expensive pair of shoes in a shop window. Where you were close enough to see it, to visualize it but not close enough to have it for yourself. Though this season is still very young, it appears that the Knicks finally have a point guard in Jalen Brunson. A moment that Knicks fans have waited two decades to become a reality.   

Natural Born Leader

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There are a few positions in sports where a certain type of player makes all the difference in the world for the success of a team. In football it is the quarterback, in baseball, it is the catcher, and in basketball, it is the point guard. These are leadership positions in their respective sports and without the right person in the role a team is limited. These positions require a player that is both excellent at their craft and also has a strong enough personality to command the respect of their peers. The importance of the position makes last year’s insertion of Alec Burks as the Knicks’ starting point guard all the more confusing in hindsight. 

When the Knicks signed Jalen Brunson this off-season, the message was clear: this is our franchise point guard. But there were questions surrounding him. Brunson played in Dallas where he was in the backcourt alongside Luka Doncic, a great player with an equally great usage rate (37% last year, the second straight year that he led the NBA in that category). So there was a natural question of how he would handle running his team without being able to defer to an all-world player like Doncic. 

Being doubted is nothing new to Brunson, he has been underestimated since his college days at Villanova where he won two national championships. In his short time with the Knicks, he has become the team's unquestioned leader; a mantle that he has taken from the former leader of this team Julius Randle. Randle, in fact, recently praised Brunson for making the game much easier for him so far this season. This is the true sign of a stable leader, one that instantly commands respect. When the Knicks brought in Kemba Walker last year, he did not command this much respect from the rest of the team and as a result, last year's Knicks felt disjointed and lost. This year, with Brunson at the helm, they feel cohesive and bought into the vision of the coaching staff and front office. That all starts with a point guard that embodies everything that the position stands for. 

He Got Game

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Having leadership qualities is one thing, but it means little to nothing if a player cannot back it up. And through the early parts of this season, Brunson is showcasing his unique skill set to Knicks fans. Brunson has shown himself to be a player that can be relied on to get a basket when the chips are down. It was in these moments where last year's team faltered, lacking a player that can cooly put his head down and go get a bucket to recenter and refocus the collective team. 

Brunson came to New York renowned for his ability to score in the paint as a diminutive guard, and he has shown this by shooting over 50% in the paint and restricted areas so far this season. But beyond the efficiency, it is Brunson’s footwork that has been the most impressive. He has shown an adept understanding of angles and patience to get to the spot that he needs to get to, knowing when to use his speed and when to stop and utilize his pivot foot. This is in stark contrast to the point guard play we have seen from Elfrid Payton and Kemba Walker in the last couple of seasons which was defined by limited creativity and an overall lack of efficiency. 

Even on the defensive side of the ball, an area that many assumed would be a weakness, he has shown great ability and presence of mind. Despite being a smaller guard, Brunson has used his basketball IQ and quickness to be effective on that side of the ball. He is very skilled at playing the passing lanes to create potential transition opportunities and has shown a willingness to sacrifice his body to draw charges on the opposing team. There is an intensity and ferocity to his game that is infectious, and it is starting to rub off on the rest of this Knicks team. 

Fitting the Mold

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New Yorkers and Knicks fans tend to like a certain type of player. The two eras that the team was competing for championships were defined by a hard-nosed and gritty defense that was going to outwork the competition. In the 1970s, the team featured players like Willis Reed, Phil Jackson, and Dave DeBusschere who made opponents work for every point that they got. In the 1990s, the team was defined by defensive anchors Patrick Ewing and Charles Oakley adopting a mantra of winning regardless of how much force was required. Knicks fans love these teams because they represent a toughness that embodies New York City.

Jalen Brunson plays with a tenacity that endears him to New Yorkers. He is a player who will give you everything he has to win a game. There is no lack of effort from Jalen Brunson because he is simply not wired that way. When the fans booed Julius Randle after the thumbs-down incident, it wasn’t merely because he was playing poorly. They booed him because of a perceived lack of effort. Knicks fans can tolerate a player missing shots or having an off night if they are competing with maximum effort, such was the case for a player like John Starks in the 1990s. But when a player does not show that they care, that’s when this fan base loses interest and patience with a player. 

With Jalen Brunson, this is not a concern. He is a player that Knicks fans will want to root for, a player that brings with him stability and respectability. The last twenty years have been mostly tumultuous at Madison Square Garden. The team also struggled to find a true leader in the point guard position during that period. This is not a coincidence. At the bare minimum, the Knicks have solved their years-long point guard dilemma. And that is a reason to celebrate, as it is the first step on the road to stable success.