Zach LaVine may not be a great fit next to Jalen Brunson
Looking at ideal possible running mates for Jalen Brunson in the backcourt, I’m not sure if Zach LaVine is in much of the running. Theoretically, an ideal player you want Brunson playing in the backcourt with is one that can shoot the 3 on a consistent basis and one that could help take some of the defensive pressure off of him. LaVine is a historically good 3-point shoter (though is only shooting 33 percent from deep this season) but the verdict on his on-ball defense is inconsistent.
There are times when it looks like he has the ability to be a really good defensive player but those instances are far in-between. Recently, he’s been a pretty average defender. At best, he’s slightly above average. Maybe there’s hope that could change by getting a fresh start. Admittedly, it could. But is that something the Knicks want to bet on?
In a vacuum, it may make sense for the Knicks to pursue LaVine. However, there is also equal evidence that suggests this may be a situation that the team should probably steer clear of. It’ll be interesting to see how it all develops from the Knicks side of things.