For the New York Knicks, what some viewed as an overpayment has become a bargain.
Jalen Brunson’s four-year, $104 million contract with the Knicks, which he inked in the offseason, has been worth every penny so far.
Brunson was the top point guard available after a breakout season with the Dallas Mavericks, and the Knicks, desperate for someone to run their offense, made sure to get him.
There was some price shock over the contract, particularly for a diminutive point player who had excelled in his contract year. Brunson’s new contract made him only the 47th highest-paid player in the league, but the move still reflected a team’s desperation and eagerness to find a point guard solution.
Brunson has been exactly what the Knicks were looking for through four games. The Villanova guard averages 20.0 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 8.5 assists per game while shooting 51.7% from the field and 41.2% from three. Currently, he has 34 assists and only six turnovers.
Brunson appears to have shifted the Knicks’ 3-and-1 offense into a higher gear, despite the exceedingly tiny sample size. The Knicks ranked 23rd in offensive rating (points scored per 100 possessions) and 29th in tempo last season. This season, they are seventh in offensive rating and sixteenth in pace, scoring 116 points per 100 possessions.
Last season, the Knicks averaged 15.2 “transition” possessions per game, or fast breaks, the fifth-fewest in the league. This season, they average 22 points per game, which ranks sixth in the league.
Typically, teams run earlier in the season, when players’ legs are fresher and their training camp proclamations about playing faster are still ringing in their ears.
The Knicks played a sluggish, stagnant half-court offense that heavily relied on forwards Julius Randle and RJ Barrett crashing into the paint. With Brunson at the helm, the Knicks’ offense has a certain vigor.
Brunson has also been able to lead the Knicks out of slumps. Wednesday, Brunson was the hero against a depleted but tenacious Charlotte Hornets squad. Brunson scored 11 points and handed out two assists over the final seven minutes of regulation and five minutes of overtime.
With 1:36 remaining in the fourth quarter, he made a crucial, game-tying three-pointer off a stepback. This is the type of perimeter offense the Knicks lacked earlier.
Later in overtime, Brunson deftly manipulated the defense by swerving around a double-team, looking off a defender, and then delivering a beautiful no-look pass to Mitchell Robinson for a dunk.
Brunson tallied 27 points on 10-of-15 shooting, seven rebounds, and 13 assists at the conclusion of the game. With him on the court, the Knicks were a plus-seven, a significant amount in a game decided by only three points in overtime. Brunson was not the only positive for the Knicks — Randle and Robinson both made significant contributions in overtime — but he carried them to victory.
The Knicks had the worst net rating in clutch situations (defined as games where the score is within five points in the final five minutes) in the league last season. The Knicks are +2 in 20 minutes of clutch situations this season.
The Knicks have compiled a 3-1 record against weak opponents, but their schedule is about to become much more difficult, as seven of their next eight games will be against probable playoff teams.
Last season, however, the Knicks struggled to defeat even the worst opponents. Brunson’s offensive contributions thus far suggest that the Knicks will now have an easier time competing with the elite teams.