Knicks Survive Scare From the Wizards as Brunson Puts NY on His Back

Are we fully appreciating what we are witnessing from Jalen Brunson this season??

Final Score: Knicks 113 - Wizards 109
Record: 25-17

I'll get to all the points he scored, the assists he dished out, the rebounds he grabbed, and his incredibly clutch production down the stretch, but I want to start here: Jalen Brunson drew three charges last night. 

This was a one-possession game (111-109) with less than ten seconds remaining in regulation. Those three possessions that Brunson won for his team over the first three quarters by sacrificing his body turned out to be extremely important. 

Drawing three charges in one game is remarkable. To put it in perspective, the other four members of New York's starting five have yet to draw one charge this entire season. The only Knicks with more than three drawn charges over the first 40+ games is Deuce McBride, who has five. 

After finishing third in this category in 2022-23, Brunson leads the NBA with 26 charges drawn this season. Year and year out, the players near the top of the league in this department are typically defensive pests scratching and clawing their way onto NBA rosters. 

Brunson, on the other hand, has already inked a $100 million contract (with another massive payday on the horizon), will make the Eastern Conference All-Star team this season and is trending toward an All-NBA berth. Last night was his first game back after missing two consecutive contests due to a left calf contusion. He also tweaked his right ankle midway through the fourth quarter. He was limping noticeably at various points throughout the night. With the Knicks shorthanded, he should probably be more cognizant of protecting himself and staying out of harm's way.

But this kid only knows how to play one way. 

"Whatever it takes to win," Brunson said Thursday night. A lot of players say that. He means it. Actions speak louder than words. 

So, after throwing his body in front of Marvin Bagley and creating a turnover, Brunson went to work on the offensive end.

    

New York's proud PG took over the game in the final frame, scoring 20 points on nine FG attempts. Brunson would finish the contest with a game-high 41 points (14-of-27 FGs, 11-of-13 FTs) to go along with eight rebounds, eight assists, two steals, one block, and two 3-pointers in 40 minutes.

In much the same way he overcomes his lack of athleticism on the defensive end by out-thinking opponents and beating them to the spots, Brunson is just as crafty and clever with the ball in his hands. Despite being the smallest player on the court, all six of Brunson's fourth-quarter field goals came in the paint. He also drew five shooting fouls and knocked down eight free throws. 

"It is frustrating, and to his credit, he's a hard one to guard," Wizards coach Wes Unseld Jr. said. "Very shifty." 

Donte DiVincenzo, Brunson's BFF and backcourt mate, has had a front-row seat to the "JB Show" since they were roommates their freshman year at Villanova. "That's what great players do to teams, is they get you frustrated, they get you upset," DiVincenzo said. "You do everything you can defensively, and they still make a tough shot. But I think Jalen, what makes him special is he makes the right play every time."

It's nearly impossible to overstate Brunson's importance to this team. With JB on the floor this season, the Knicks average more than 120 points per 100 possessions. With Brunson on the bench, the number dips all the way down to 105.3 points per 100 possessions.

For context, if that 120+ points-per-100 figure belonged to a team this season, that club would rank second in the NBA in OffRtg. Whereas 105.3 points per 100 would rank dead last.

Dating back to mid-December (a 17-game sample size), Brunson is averaging 28.5 points, 7.5 assists (vs. just 2.7 turnovers), 4.2 rebounds, and 2.7 made three-pointers.

Looking at the big picture, Brunson belongs in the MVP conversation. 

Consider this:

This season, Jalen Brunson has:
* more points than Nikola Jokic or Jayson Tatum
* more assists than Shai Gilgeous-Alexander or Dame Lillard
* more made 3PT's than Donovan Mitchell or James Harden
* higher +/- than Luka Doncic or Kevin Durant
* higher 3PT% than Stephen Curry or Buddy Hield 
* draw more charges than any player in the NBA

Are we fully appreciating what we are witnessing from JB this season??

Other Takeaways and Knicks Notes:

🏀 The good news from last night is Brunson got help from the rest of the starters. The bad news is the bench didn't contribute doo-doo, which resulted in the first five playing a ton of minutes. 

OG Anunoby had another fantastic all-around game, tallying 19 points (6-of-9 FGs, 4-of-4 FTs), seven rebounds, one assist, two blocks, and three 3-pointers across 43 minutes. Tuesday's win was the Knicks' third game in the four days, and OG has logged more than 42 minutes in each contest. He's the first NY player in a decade to log 42+ minutes in three straight non-OT games (Carmelo Anthony in March 2013 was the last).

On the one hand, it's understandable that Thibs is leaning heavily on his best defender. OG's On/Off splits with the Knicks are mind-boggling.

This month,
In the 367 minutes OG has been on the floor, the Knicks have an:
Offensive Rating of 121.2
Defensive Rating of 98.9
Net Rating of +22.3

In the 113 minutes OG has been on the bench, the Knicks have an:
Offensive Rating of 96.1
Defensive Rating of 117.7
Net Rating of -21.6

Still, you have to worry about Thibs running OG into the ground. Anunoby played for Nick Nurse in Toronto (who, like Thibs, is notorious for playing his stars' heavy minutes), but 42 minutes a night in the middle of January is not advisable. 

🏀 Donte DiVincenzo tallied 19 points, three rebounds, three assists, one block, and five 3-pointers in 38 minutes on Wednesday. 

FWIW, here's DiVincenzo per-36 minutes averages this season compared to Dejounte Murray

DiVincenzo:
18.1 points
5.1 rebounds
3.5 assists (vs. 1.8 turnovers)
1.8 steals
0.5 blocks
4.2 made three-pointers
3.7 BPM 
62.2% TS%

Murray:
21.9 points
5.0 rebounds
5.0 assists (vs. 2.3 turnovers)
1.4 steals
0.3 blocks
2.4 made three-pointers 
0.4 BPM
56.6% TS%

DiVincenzo's salary: $46 million over four years
Murray's salary: $120 million over four years

🏀 Thursday was another odd game from Julius Randle. He came out aggressive, scoring 12 points on nine FG attempts in the first quarter. However, he went scoreless, missing all five of his shots in the second and third quarters (while playing lethargically on defense), before coming back to life in the fourth… Isaiah Hartenstein ripped down 17 more rebounds (five on the offensive end) while also chipping in three assists, two steals and one block in 39 minutes. 

🏀 Now, we have to talk about the second unit. With Josh Hart (left knee patellar tendinopathy) sidelined, Evan Fournier saw six minutes in the first half but looked woefully unable to contribute. Precious Achiuwa logged nine minutes (some at the backup 4) and was outclassed and played off the floor again. Miles McBride scored five points in his seven minutes of action in the first half, but for some reason, he didn't get off the bench after halftime.

Quentin Grimes was the only non-starter to log double-digit minutes but missed all five of his FG attempts and posted a team-low -12. Earlier this season, after he was demoted from the starting lineup, Grimes talked publicly about the stress he felt every time he stepped on the court. 

"It feels like if I don't hit the shot, I'm coming out," Grimes said. "So every shot I shoot probably weighs like 100 pounds if I don't make it, and our defense, it ain't cutting it, so I know I ain't going back in."

He seemed more relaxed and confident in the first few days after the RJ/IQ trade, but Grimes' confidence has cratered once again amidst trade rumors and buzz that the Knicks are looking to move him. 

🏀 At this point, it seems as though it is only a matter of time before New York makes a move to upgrade their depth. Not only would having the starters maintain this workload for the rest of the season be unsustainable, but Thibs might be pushing it just by asking the starters to make it to the deadline at their current pace. 

The likely result is packaging Fournier's contract and either a first-round pick or Grimes for a playmaker/ball-hander to facilitate the offense when Brunson rests. There is a bevy of players on non-contenders that make between $16 and $21 million that would fall into that category. I'll carve out some time shortly to write about which guys make the most sense as realistic targets.  

And not to be overlooked, New York also needs to add a legitimate backup center. Hartenstein looked worn down last night.

🏀 Next Up: The Knicks host the Raptors on Saturday night (7:30 tip)

You don't need me to preview this one. We all know how juiced MSG will be for the return of RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley. 

The Raps won three of their first four contests following the acquisition of RJ and IQ but have come back down to earth since then, losing five of the past six games. On Wednesday, they traded away their leading scorer, Pascal Siakam, in exchange for Bruce Brown and three first-round draft picks. Brown made his debut for Toronto on Thursday, scoring 15 points in the Raptors' loss to the Bulls. 

I expect both Barrett and Quickley to get very warm receptions when they are first introduced, but the game will be intense once it gets underway, as there are serious bragging rights on the line.