What level of impact can Jalen Brunson have for the New York Knicks?
Jarrett Jack, Frank Ntilikina, Elfrid Payton, Emmanuel Mudiay, Jose Calderón. I can go on and on about the New York Knicks‘ revolving door at the point guard position and it was clear that something finally had to be done.
The New York Knicks and Jalen Brunson have come to an agreement on a four-year deal worth roughly $110 million. While the price is steep, Brunson was the best available point guard in free agency and is coming off a season in which he averaged 16 points, four rebounds, and five assists on 50 percent shooting from the field and 37 percent shooting from 3-point range.
He did this while playing alongside superstar Luka Dončić, and was actually most impressive in Luka’s absence averaging roughly 20 points and 7 assists per game. He also averaged 27 points per game during his first-round playoff series against the Utah Jazz this year.
The Knicks have had a point guard carousel for the past 10 years and won 37 games with Alec Burks playing out of position to run the show for most of last season. The Knicks had a lot of issues, but the lack of flow and cohesion in the offense stood out.
That’s why the team thought it was essential to finally find the long-term answer to the lead-guard position. Not only would it help the team outright, but it would also help nearly every other player on the roster in the respective roles.
Brunson will undoubtedly elevate Knicks’ talent like Julius Randle, RJ Barrett, and Mitchell Robinson (assuming he re-signs) and may be the key for New York to get back in the playoff mix in the Eastern Conference.
The Knicks may not be done in free agency, but they’ve gotten off to a great start by locking up one of the best free agents on the market.