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Jalen Brunson’s Shooting Woes Not a Concern for Knicks

By Admin / April 24, 2024

Highlights

  • The Knicks are up 2-0 in the playoffs despite Jalen Brunson’s poor shooting.
  • The Sixers double-teamed and contested Brunson effectively, leading to a slower start to the postseason than most expected.
  • Despite Brunson’s woes, teamwork has allowed the Knicks to thrive so far in the playoffs.


The New York Knicks have relied on Jalen Brunson for most of the season, where he has put up career-high numbers. But flip to the playoffs, and the Knicks have found ways to win despite Brunson’s shooting woes.

In the first two playoff games against the Philadelphia 76ers, Brunson is shooting just 16 of 55, including 2 of 12 from three-point range. In Game 1, he shot 8 for 29, and in Game 2, he was 8 for 26. These numbers are far below his season averages, a season in which he found himself in the top five in the MVP race.


The Sixers have found a way to effectively double-team Brunson in the paint, resulting in his efficiency on the court dropping significantly. His three-point shooting was stunted by Kelly Oubre Jr. and Tobias Harris, who are both over 6 feet 8 inches in comparison to Brunson’s 6-foot-2 frame.


Finding Ways to Win

The Knicks are up 2-0 despite Brunson’s subpar shooting

Brunson Maxey Knicks 76ers

Philadelphia also repeatedly found success in contesting Brunson’s shots off the pick and roll, causing him to rush plays. But even with Brunson’s shooting woes, the Knicks have found ways to win. The Sixers have not stunted Brunson’s efficiency entirely, as he has still been effective in his stop-and-pop game around the baseline.

“I just love the way [Brunson’s] wired. And so just keep going. You never know when something changes. He’s rebounding the ball. He’s playmaking. He’s not hesitating. And look, they’re paying a lot of attention to him, which is opening up other things for us. So just keep going, and that’s what I love. I want all our guys like that.” —Tom Thibodeau


And despite the 76ers limiting Brunson’s three-point shooting, they failed to limit it at the end of Game 2, when Brunson’s crucial three took a funny bounce off the rim and in, counting. That led to Donte DiVincenzo’s go-ahead three-pointer, which sent New York City into a frenzy and secured the win for the Knicks.

“It was huge. It was loud as hell in there. Honestly, after I missed the first one I was really, really, really hoping that Isaiah got it because I knew the rotation of everything I was going to get a second look. Thank God he got the offensive rebound.” —Donte DiVincenzo

Teamwork Makes the Dream Work

Knicks players have picked each other up to make up the difference

New York Knicks Philadelphia 76ers NBA Playoffs Jalen Brunson OG Anunoby


The fact that the Knicks are rolling right now despite Brunson’s shooting woes is not a cause for concern. They are a well-oiled machine who has learned to feed off of each other to generate offense. Brunson addressed this after Game 2, saying that the team will pick up the pieces even if he is having a bad night, which he wishes to avoid.

“The one thing about this team: no one really cares who’s doing what, who gets the credit for what. We just want to go out there and win. I said it last time: I could play bad again and we win, that’s fine for me. Obviously I want to play better, but to the point where we’re all sticking together no matter what, whatever the situation is, we’re gonna have each other’s back. So whatever’s working at the time, we’re just gonna keep going to it.” —Jalen Brunson

However, if the Knicks wish to make a deep playoff run, they will need Brunson to wake up. Game 3 of the series will be in Philadelphia on Thursday evening, and Brunson and the Knicks will have a chance to take a commanding 3-0 series lead.

New York Knicks Philadelphia 76ers NBA Playoffs Jalen Brunson OG Anunoby

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