Stephen Curry didn’t just separate himself from the rest of the NBA with his shooting, but also with his ability to move without the ball and spread the offense. Now, in this new era of the New York Knicks under head coach Mike Brown, Jalen Brunson is doing the same, and so far, it is working out.
There were many questions about how Brown would change the Knicks’ offense compared to the previous head coach, Tom Thibodeau, and through ten games, the new system appears to be working for their star. After the team’s latest win against the Memphis Grizzlies, Brunson spoke about how he has changed his game over the summer to fit the more off-ball style seen by players like Curry.
“In the offseason, (relocation/catch-and-shoot) 3s is what I worked on,” Brunson said to The Athletic after a 32-point, ten-assist, five-rebound performance in the win. “The talk was playing off-ball, so why don’t I just work on that? That was a lot of the stuff I did this summer. The ball is going in when I do it.”
Brunson has been near the top of the league over the past few seasons in usage and isolation. However, under Brown, he is still keeping up his high-level scoring numbers, but has spent more time without the ball, freeing up space for Karl-Anthony Towns, Mikal Bridges, OG Anunoby, and others.
Through ten games, Brunson is averaging 27.7 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 6.6 assists per game on 47.1% shooting from the field and 37.5% from three.
Jalen Brunson’s ‘Curry’ Role On Offense
Curry’s off-ball success is perhaps the most notable in recent NBA history. While he was on the court with future Hall of Fame players, Brunson himself might not have that level of talent around him, but New York still has a ton of great options across the court.
“I like to move him around so that it’s a little harder to deny or be physical with him because he’s not in the same place all the time,” head coach Mike Brown said. “He may be setting a screen, getting a screen or cutting backdoor. All of those things, I think, for him in the long run, especially when you’re going against a team in a seven-game series.”
Brunson’s average dribbles per touch and average time of possession with the ball are down from last year, but his shot attempts are up. As seen with what Steve Kerr did with Curry, Brown and the rest of the Knicks’ roster are finding ways to keep Brunson as the key cog of the offense, but with the ball in his hands less than was seen over the past few years.
“I’ve been around him so long and understand how well he can catch-and-shoot,” Bridges said of Brunson. “I feel like I find him the most, him or OG (Anunoby), when I drive because they relocate so well and find the empty space. His catch-and-shoot is ridiculous. He works on it all the time, all day.”
Brown’s new ‘free-flowing’ offense seems to be working, and the Knicks are currently tied for second in offense rating (121.6) and fourth in net rating (9.5). The team also leads the league in catch and shoot points per game, and sits second in the East at 7-3.
New York Knicks’ Second-Unit Is Becoming An Issue
While Brunson, Towns, Bridges, and Anunoby are all putting up similar or even better numbers compared to their previous career averages, the same can’t be said for the Knicks’ second unit to start the year.
Josh Hart has been relatively limited in his new role off the bench this season. While he is still putting up numbers across the board in his unique ‘do it all’ role, he isn’t close to the scoring and rebounding numbers he put up last season.
The new additions of Jordan Clarkson and Guerschon Yabusele have also left a bit on the table. Clarkson has been fine, but his 9.5 points per game still fall short of what New York had hoped for with the veteran coming off the bench. Yabusele has been even worse, playing an average of ten minutes per game and scoring only 2.3 points per night.
There is a similar story with the other backups of Miles McBride, Landry Shamet, and Tyler Kolek. Though it is hard to say Brown would rely on any of them in the closing minutes of a tight game, none of the three are shooting better than 42% this season. The other reserves haven’t been much better, and though Brown promised a new style, it hasn’t taken effect at the end of the Knicks’ bench.
“New Knicks coach Mike Brown has done what it can to lighten the workload carried by the starters…That said, the New York’s second-teamers aren’t exactly capitalizing on their expanded workloads,” Zach Buckley wrote on the Knicks for Bleacher Report. “Things still spiral whenever the ‘Bockers turn to their bench. Among rotation regulars, Miles McBride is the only non-starter with a net differential better than minus-7.1.”
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