How Jalen Brunson is elevating other Knicks in clutch moments

Advancing far in the NBA playoffs often comes down to having a great offensive player or players who can create good looks consistently. After searching for years, the Knicks have that player in Jalen Brunson.

The diminutive point guard has been on a tear, averaging a league-high 34.6 points along with 7.9 assists. During these playoffs, Brunson became the fourth player to score 40-plus points in four straight postseason games. The most recent was Michael Jordan in the 1993 NBA Finals.

The individual accolades are countless, but where Brunson has helped is just by being on the floor. He’s giving his team a chance to win every night and allowing his teammates to flourish. The Knicks are ranked third in offensive efficiency among playoff teams this season.

Brunson has slowed down the last two games due to a sore right foot. But he’s still creating good looks. Brunson did not have his best game in New York’s 111-106 loss on Friday night, shooting 10-of-26 from the field while scoring 26 points. But his impact can be felt in other ways. Donte DiVincenzo had a team-high 35 points including seven made three-pointers. Three of those treys came off passes from Brunson who drew extra attention from Pacers defenders both in transition and in the halfcourt.

The Pacers are not a particularly good defensive team by any stretch, but they’ve made a concerted effort to throw different looks at Brunson. He is attacking one-on-one matchups. He sliced and diced Andrew Nembhard in the first two games. Indiana wing Aaron Nesmith did a better job on Brunson in Game 3, but the Knicks All-Star has generally had an answer for any and every defender.

If the Pacers blitz the pick and roll, Brunson has accurately delivered the pocket pass or hockey assist to Isaiah Hartenstein. Those passes have led to an open shot from Hartenstein or another teammate. If Indiana tries to trap, Brunson has quickly moved the ball leading to an advantageous situation for the offense.

Brunson is making the right decisions more often than not. Also, all the added attention to Brunson is causing scramble situations from the defense, leading to constant offensive rebound opportunities for the Knicks.

The Knicks have played more clutch time minutes than any team in the playoffs. According to NBA.com’s clutch stats, the Knicks are outscoring opponents by 8.0 points per 100 possessions in 38 clutch time minutes during the playoffs. Clutch stats are a tally of possessions where the score was within five points in the last five minutes of the fourth quarter or overtime.

In crunch time, the Knicks know they can go to Brunson and generate offense on almost every possession, which is valuable in high-pressure situations. And it’s shown as the Knicks have won most of their close postseason games.

Injuries piling up

As the Knicks have become severely shorthanded, they might need to request a special exception from the NBA to allow one of the Knicks alumni attending home playoff games to suit up. I bet Carmelo Anthony or Stephon Marbury could give the team five minutes.

With OG Anunoby out for Game 3, the Knicks were severely shorthanded. In addition to Anunoby, the Knicks were also without frontcourt players Julius Randle, Mitchell Robinson and Bojan Bogdanovic.

Coach Tom Thibodeau went to a backup plan. Alec Burks played 44 seconds in Game 2, the only time he has seen action in the postseason. The Knicks dusted off the veteran and he was a revelation.

Burks scored 14 points and grabbed four rebounds in 21 minutes. One has to imagine that the performance has given Burks some momentum towards more playing time. With Anunoby out for Game 4, the Knicks will need him again on Sunday afternoon.

Center Jericho Sims played four minutes in the first half. With Hartenstein at starter and Precious Achiuwa capable of playing both the four and the five, it’s hard to envision Sims seeing more than spot minutes.

New York is at a breaking point. There are not many available players left on the roster. Midseason buyout pickup Shake Milton has not seen any playoff minutes. Mamadi Diakite and DaQuan Jeffries are the only other available options. Those two have played a combined 119 career games in the NBA.