The hype has so far not been overstated, all the glowing talk and praise on target. Jalen Brunson has absolutely looked the part as the floor general the Knicks have been so desperately lacking, a player who is ready to meet the pressure of that $104 million contract.
The Knicks outscored their opponent by a whopping 63 points when Brunson was on the floor during the preseason. He has scored and distributed at a high level — averaging 17.7 points, 4.2 assists and shooting 49 percent from the field. His ball-moving and selfless play has rubbed off on the other starters, who have played extremely well as a unit. All five have significantly high plus-minus ratings, with RJ Barrett notching the highest at plus-76.
As coach Tom Thibodeau said of Brunson after Friday’s blowout win over the Wizards: “It’s clear as day the impact he’s had on the team.”
It goes beyond the court, in terms of the leadership he’s displayed. Brunson has made an effort to create a bond with his new teammates, getting together off the court. Sunday night, he is planning to have some of the guys over to his home to watch the big Eagles-Cowboys game.
Brunson still feels like there is a way to go for him. Though the adjustment may look seamless, he is still adapting to his new surroundings.
“I just want it to be reactionary,” Brunson said. “If I react to it, it’s not like I’m thinking about it. It’s just that I know it off the top of my head.”
Considering how well he has performed already, that is a very good thing. The Knicks look like they finally have their point guard.
Here are some other takeaways from the just-finished preseason:
Julius the ball mover
It’s not just that Julius Randle has said all the right things throughout training camp, he’s walked the walk as well. He’s moved the ball and cut down on his turnovers, producing 17 assists and four turnovers in four games. He’s probably played too unselfish at times, passing on open shots on occasion. It would be encouraging to see him attack more and not get rid of the ball so frequently, but there was much to like about how he is willingly trying to adapt to Brunson’s arrival, and the Knicks’ intent to play faster and with less isolation. He said this week he watched European basketball to prepare for the coming season. The true test will be once the lights go on for real, and Randle can play this way in tight games in pressure situations. But so far, you have to be encouraged by what you have seen from him.
Second unit issues
The backups blew a 10-point lead in the final 6:09 of Wednesday’s loss to the Pacers, and it was again shaky Friday night, failing to sustain the strong play from the starters. Some of that can be pointed to Derrick Rose’s absence in the Pacers game and Quentin Grimes not playing with the unit aside from a few minutes on Friday. The group did perform well in the first two preseason games, and it is incorporating a new player in shot-making, floor-spacing big man Isaiah Hartenstein. But the reserves didn’t look right in the past two games, in particular Immanuel Quickley and Obi Toppin.
Quickley shot 7-for-27 with a minus-32 rating in those two contests, and his defense was iffy. It could take this unit time to find itself for the same reason the starters have looked some comfortably together: new components. Hartenstein is new, Rose hardly played last year and Grimes missed almost the entire preseason.
Cam fails to impress
It was the perfect storm for Cam Reddish, an injury to Grimes and the Knicks opting to rest Evan Fournier in one game. Reddish failed to take advantage, and will be stuck on the bench at the start of the season in all likelihood. The former lottery pick didn’t make nearly enough shots (6-of-28 with a minus-8 rating), his defense was lacking and his shot selection was questionable at best.
Reddish needed a big preseason to make a case for himself that he belonged to be in the rotation. Instead, he did the opposite, showing he didn’t deserve a spot. Barring an injury, Reddish will only see the court in blowouts. Trading a first-round pick for the enigmatic wing is looking more and more like one of the worst moves Leon Rose has made as the Knicks president.
Credit: Source link
