The 2022-23 NBA season has been an up-and-down affair for the New York Knicks thus far this season. They had an impressive five-game road trip through the Western Conference, which they went 3-2 on, but their return home wasn’t nearly as productive.
The Knicks hosted the Portland Trail Blazers and Memphis Grizzlies over the weekend following a break after the road trip and things did not go well. While New York hung with two of the better teams in the Western Conference, they were both heartbreaking losses. Losing to Portland was especially disappointing as they played without Damian Lillard.
Against the Grizzlies, it was Ja Morant that carried the team as he recorded a triple-double with 27 points, 14 assists and 10 rebounds. In years past, performances like that would be one that the Knicks couldn’t keep up with at the point guard position, but this year, they have a huge upgrade at the position in Jalen Brunson.
Brunson signed a four-year, $104 million deal to leave the Dallas Mavericks that many people believed was an overpay in free agency. But, he has been everything that the Knicks had hoped for and more as Brunson has excelled as the starting point guard and lead ball handler.
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In the last three games, Brunson has taken his game to another level trying to will the Knicks to victories. He has surpassed the 30-point plateau in each of them, which is already moving him toward the top of the Knicks’ scoring lists. According to StatMuse, Brunson now has the third most 30-point games for a Knicks point guard since 2000.
That speaks volumes to just how dire of a situation the Knicks have had at the position as it has been a long time since they had a player as good as Brunson leading their team. There will likely be a lot of stats like that which Brunson topples as the point guard spot has been a mess since Charlie Ward was consistently manning it in the late 90s and early 2000s.
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What is most impressive about Brunson’s huge scoring nights is that he is doing it efficiently. Over the last three games, he has made 51.6 percent overall from the field and 36.8 percent on 3-pointers. He is getting to the foul line with regularity and making it count, going 25-of-27 as well.
He hasn’t let his scoring prowess take away from his playmaking, either. Jalen Brunson has recorded 22 assists in the three games as well, as he continues getting his teammates involved while finding opportunities of his own to score the basketball.
