THE TURNAROUND:
On July 12th, 2022, the New York Knicks signed former Mavericks’ point guard Jalen Brunson to a 4-year 104-million-dollar contract. The signing of Brunson has completely turned around the struggling franchise. Since signing Brunson, the Knicks are 57W-42L. In addition, Brunson shined in the Knicks playoff series win over the Cleveland Cavaliers last April, the team’s first since 2013. Jalen Brunson has gotten off to a red-hot start in his second season in New York, putting up nearly 25 points per game. Unfortunately, the fact that Brunson is the heart and soul of this resurging Knicks team presents a bit of an issue.
THE ISSUE:
Brunson’s success would be great to watch as a Knicks fan, but how the Knicks acquired their starting point guard is a bit questionable. The Knicks signed Brunson on April 12th, 2022, the first major offseason signing. It was the first for a reason. The NBA determined that New York violated league rules governing the timing of this season's free agency discussions (they negotiated with Brunson before they were allowed to). As punishment, the Knicks were stripped of their 2025 second-round pick. However, in retrospect, this punishment is completely out of proportion, but not how you’d think. The NBA had no idea what impact Brunson would have in New York. Here’s a comparison between Brunson’s stats with the Mavericks and his stats since signing with the Knicks:
Mavericks: Points per game - 11.9 Assists per game - 3.7 Rebounds per game - 3.0
Knicks: Points per game - 24.2 Assists per game - 6.0 Rebounds per game - 3.6
The Knicks’ penalty might’ve been proper, had Brunson continued putting up the same numbers he put up in Dallas. Post Brunson’s incredible improvement, the headstart on his negotiations is worth much more than a second-round pick! For a fact, during New York’s current 3-game win streak, Brunson is putting up 25.33 points on average. If or when the Knicks accomplish big things with Brunson running the floor, it might feel somewhat tainted.
THE EXCUSE(S):
Even though Brunson is having a larger impact than any second-round pick will have, the NBA cannot change its ruling. Jalen’s agents, Aaron Mintz and Sam Rose wouldn’t have had the same approach towards free agency had they been working with today’s version of the guard. In addition, maybe the Knicks should be credited for Brunson’s improvement. Who said that the difference maker wasn’t the Knicks’ coaching staff? New York is getting the most out of him while the Mavs’ coaches failed to do so. While yes, the Knicks might have pulled a quick one, there are too many variables and we cannot start getting into all of these “what if” scenarios because there are infant possibilities.
The bottom line is that we cannot change the past. Furthermore, while Brunson is a large piece of this Knicks team, he isn’t the only one. New York has three other players putting up over 15 points per game, Julius Randle (20.4), RJ Barrett (18.6), and Immanuel Quickley (15.4). Jalen Brunson is not the only reason for the Knicks’ success.
LOOKING AHEAD:
The New York Knicks sit at 12W-7L, in 5th place in the Eastern Conference. New York made a miniature playoff run last season by reaching the second round. While they hope to make a longer run this season, they must first focus on the In-Season Tournament.
On December 5th, the Knicks will face the Milwaukee Bucks in the first knockout round of the In-Season Tournament. In New York’s first game of the tournament, the Bucks defeated the Knicks 110-105, forcing New York to qualify for a wildcard spot. In their last matchup, the Knicks kept it close until the very end and proved that an upset isn’t that unlikely. Since the Bucks are one of the top teams in the league, knocking them out early would open things up for the Knicks. Milwaukee will probably take care of business on Tuesday, but if not, Vegas better watch out for Jalen Brunson and his New York Knicks!
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