It's a Christmas Miracle! Knicks Beat The Bucks
Thanking Santa for Jalen Brunson… and a look at the latest Knicks trade rumors
Final Score: Knicks 129 - Bucks 122
Record: 17-12
Year after year after year, Knicks fans had been asking Santa for a point guard.
I'm not sure if it's because they were on the naughty list or because Saint Nick never got the message, but year after year, Knicks fans got the PG version of coal in their stocking. That is, until last year - when Santa shuffled down the chimney and delivered Jalen Brunson to a deserving fanbase.
While fans were hoping that a quality point guard would change the fortunes of their favorite team, they could not have realized the extent to which it was possible. Since Brunson, the Prince That Was Promised, arrived in New York City, he's transformed the franchise.
The latest, greatest example of Brunson's impact was his performance in the Knicks' Christmas Day Victory over the Bucks. Milwaukee entered MSG riding a season-high seven-game win streak, including a blowout victory over New York two days prior. And dating back to 2021, the Bucks had beaten the Knicks nine straight times.
However, Brunson made sure both streaks would be snapped. He came out on fire, pouring in 15 points in the first quarter, allowing New York to play from ahead, and controlled the contest the rest of the way. When the final buzzer sounded, Brusnon had compiled 38 points, four rebounds, six assists and a steal. He shot an efficient 15-of-28 from the floor and 7-of-9 from the charity stripe. He didn't commit a single turnover.
It was but the latest in a string of brilliant all-around games from JB this month. Over the Knicks' last six games, which include road wins over the Suns and Lakers and Monday's victory over the Bucks, Brunson is averaging 31.8 points, 6.5 assists, 5.2 rebounds, while shooting 53.8% from the floor, 61.3% from 3PT range 86.5% from the free-throw stripe.
JB put on a masterclass on Christmas, scoring 35 of his 38 points inside the arc. He abused Bucks defenders with a combination of guile, pump fakes, footwork and patience.
There's been a lot of talk recently about how Brunson can't be considered an elite 1A superstar because of his diminutive size and stature. Well, basketball is a results-based business, and Brunson gets the job done. He doesn't jump over defenders or sprint past them very often, but ultimately, he gets to the spots on the floor where he feels most comfortable and is most dangerous.
Consider this: Per NBA.com tracking data, dating back to the start of last season, Brunson ranks sixth in the NBA in points scored in the paint non-restricted area (behind only Jokic, Bam, D Fox, SGA, and Doncic).
Brunson has scored more points in this zone than Joel Embiid, Nikola Vucevic, Kristaps Porzingis, and Kevin Durant.
What has made Brusnon's 2023-24 campaign so unique is his ability also to punish opponents from long range. He is currently on pace to join Stephen Curry as just the second player in NBA history to attempt more than 500 three-pointers and shoot above 45% from behind the arc.
And, as we discussed in depth previously, it's not just his offensive brilliance or his willingness to sacrifice his body on the defensive end (JB is second in the NBA in total charges drawn over the past two seasons) but his invaluable leadership on both on and off the floor.
It's worth noting that he is only 27 and is just now entering the prime of his career.
Again, he's transformed the franchise. So, sorry, Knicks fans, you aren't allowed to ask Santa for anything else for a long, long time.
Other Takeaways and Knicks Notes:
🏀 Despite logging under 23 minutes off the bench again on Monday, Immanuel Quickley had an outsized impact, finishing with 20 points and two triples on an efficient 7-of-10 from the floor and 4-of-4 from the free-throw stripe.
IQ was a game-high +14, which is unsurprising. After leading the Knicks in plus/minus last season, Quickley is back at it in 2023-24. Dating back to the end of November, IQ has a team-best Net Rating of +11.3 (a full 4.0 points better than any other player on the roster). The problem is that over this 12-game stretch, Quickley is averaging less than 22 minutes per game (seventh on the team in total minutes played).
Some stats during this span:
Immanuel Quickley:
Minutes played: 241
Plus/Minus: +58
Net Rating: +11.3
RJ Barrett:
Minutes Played: 340
Plus/Minus: -69
Net Rating: -9.4
Donte DiVincenzo:
Minutes Played: 257
Plus/Minus: -44
Net Rating: -8.1
I'm not saying IQ has to start, but he needs to play more than 25 minutes a night. The Knicks are 10-3 this season when IQ attempts more than ten shots. They are 7-9 when he does not. When challenged, Thibs has often argued that Net Rating is a stat he relies heavily on. Well, the numbers are clear. The team's NetRtg with IQ alongside Brunson, Randle, and Hart is phenomenal. Those four and iHart should be New York's "closing five" more often than not.
One hundred eighty-two players are averaging more minutes per game than Quickley this season.
Here are some of the players averaging more MPG than IQ:
Jordan Hawkins
Bismack Biyombo
Derrick Jones Jr.
David Roddy
Toumani Camara
Nicolas Batum
Obi Toppin
Some of the players that have logged more minutes than IQ in December:
Dean Wade
Sam Hauser
Peyton Watson
Simone Fontecchio
Vince Williams Jr.
Ayo Dosunmu
And this is not just about the last month. Since the moment Quickley was drafted, he has positively impacted winning. Playing him less than 22 minutes a night is not properly maximizing the talent on the roster.
🏀 Speaking of plus/minus darlings, Josh Hart was +7 on Christmas (second-best behind IQ). Hart stuffed the stat sheet vs. Milwaukee, tallying 10 points (5-of-7 FGs), nine rebounds, four assists and two steals.
Night after night, the dude makes winning/impactful plays.
Incredibly, since being traded to the Knicks at the deadline last February, Josh Hart ranks 12th in the NBA in cumulative plus/minus. He ranks first among players, not on the Bucks, Celtics, Sixers, or Nuggets.
🏀 On the flip side of the coin, we have RJ Barrett. RJ started the Monday matinee on fire, scoring 14 points in the first quarter. However, he cooled off after that, scoring just three points (all from the FT stripe) in the second half. Worse yet, he committed three turnovers while dishing out just one assist.
Several times, RJ put blinders on, put his head down, and drove into the paint against the trees, only to chuck the ball at the rim instead of passing to open teammates behind the arc. These types of frustrating plays should not be happening frequently in Year 5.
In previous newsletters, I've detailed his offensive inefficiency and noted his negative Net Rating above. A decent slice of RJ's minutes should be allocated to IQ until he starts playing better on both ends.
🏀 Julius Randle has had his minutes matched up with Giannis the past two games, so while his counting stats vs. Milwaukee haven't quite been at his season average, that should be taken in context. Still, Randle needs to perform better as a facilitator when playing with the second unit. Randle hijacked the offense occasionally on Monday, reverting to ISO-Ball, which led to several stalled-out possessions. Over the Knicks past two games, Randle had seven turnovers vs. three assists.
🏀 Quentin Grimes logged 12 minutes and took only two shots on Christmas. He was largely invisible, barely touching the ball on the offensive end and not making much of an impact defensively. His regression this season has been stunning and reflects negatively on both the player and the coaching staff.
🏀 The Knicks are 8-4 at MSG this season. It's the first time in a decade (and just the second time this century!!) they've been more than three games above .500 at home on Christmas.
🏀 New York has played 56 games on Christmas Day, more than any other team in the league. They have a 24-32 record. (Their first Christmas Day victory occurred in 1947 when they defeated the Providence Steamrollers.)
🏀 Monday's victory was Tom Thibodeau's 142nd head-coaching victory with New York, tying him with Hubie Brown for fifth place on the Knicks all-time list, behind only Red Holzman (613 wins), Joe Lapchick (326), Jeff Van Gundy (248) and Pat Riley (223).
🏀 Good quote from Josh Hart when asked about Brusnon's evolution into an NBA star. "I always knew he put the work in to be successful. But, even me, I didn't know how it would translate to the NBA style. But s–t, when did I know? Probably like three years ago when he started doing it."
🏀 Some trade buzz that has popped up in the past few days…
Per Yahoo's Jake Fischer: "The gap in negotiations for Immanuel Quickley's rookie extension this fall at first led rival teams to consider the combo guard a possible trade candidate come February, especially after New York gauged his value with rival teams during this time last year. Quickley's representation was seeking around $25 million in average annual value, according to league sources. And yet Quickley's name has been virtually absent from the early rumblings around the NBA. Evan Fournier's $18.8 million salary, before his team option for the 2024-25 campaign, does still stand as a valuable trade chip for the Knicks' front office, as Robinson's injury now points to the likelihood of New York searching for frontcourt reinforcements.
The best big man for the taking before the deadline could very well be the Hawks' Clint Capela. Atlanta dangled Capela this past offseason, league sources told Yahoo Sports, and held significant discussions with the Dallas Mavericks before talks fell apart. The Hawks have left rival teams with the impression they are still open to moving one of, if not both, Capela and De'Andre Hunter… Wizards center Daniel Gafford may be the next-best option for the Knicks, or any other team, in search of available starting-level talent at the position. Gafford has played well this season in Washington, averaging career highs across the board in a career-best 25.6 minutes per game. But the Wizards are shaping into sellers with a 5-22 record in this first year under Michael Winger's new front office.
🏀 Per Michael Scotto of HoopsHype: "The Knicks are among several teams who've expressed exploratory trade interest in Hawks guard Dejounte Murray. Murray can't be traded until Jan. 9 after agreeing to a four-year, $120 million contract extension with the Hawks in July. However, given Atlanta's sluggish start to the season as a fringe Play-In team following Jalen Johnson's injury, nothing can be considered off the table for the Hawks in addition to usual trade suspects De'Andre Hunter and Clint Capela.
The Knicks also remain interested in trading for Raptors forward OG Anunoby, league sources told HoopsHype. Last season, Knicks forward RJ Barrett came up in those brief trade inquiries, but nothing substantive materialized. That's likely to remain the case again unless New York blows Toronto away with sufficient first-round draft pick compensation and maybe another young asset."
🏀 Per Ian Begley of SNY: "Some prominent members of the organization see Atlanta's Dejounte Murray as an ideal trade target. New York had interest in trading for Murray in the 2022 offseason. At that point, Murray was viewed by some as a great fit with lead guard Jalen Brunson.
Moving Murray would be a seismic shift for Atlanta. And it would surely require several first-round picks and young, ascending players. The Knicks can put that kind of package together. But for New York, there is an additional hurdle in a potential Murray trade. Murray is represented by Rich Paul and Klutch Sports Group. The New York Daily News reported in 2022 that Klutch opposed a trade of client Zach LaVine to the Knicks. That dynamic is still present today. I'm told that Paul remains reluctant to do business with the Knicks, who are led by team president Leon Rose… Now, if Murray wanted specifically to play for the Knicks, Paul wouldn't stand in the way. He'd facilitate the move. That applies to any Klutch client. But unless a player requests a move to New York, Paul is reluctant to deal with the Knicks."
🏀 My quick take on the Dejounte Murray stuff (I will dig in deeper when we have more time): First and foremost, Murray is extremely talented but is NOT a "great fit" next to Brunson. The problem Murray has working next to Trae Young will remain when slotted next to Brunson. Murray can run point on his own; he is not ideally suited to playoff a ball-dominant PG such as Trae or JB.
The best fit next to Brunson would be a defensively dominant, low-usage SG who is lethal off of catch-and-shoot looks from three-point land.
More importantly, as I tweeted yesterday, the Knicks could trade away a ton of valuable assets for Dejounte Murray, or… hear me out … they could pretend they just traded for IQ and play him 30 minutes a night.