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After a six-month hiatus, the New York Knicks find themselves once again gearing up for some meaningful NBA action, as Wednesday, October 19, marks day one of their 2022-23 82-game slate.
Coming in fresh off of a summer filled with roster-bolstering transactions, Tom Thibodeau’s new-look rotation appears to be ready for their opening night matchup against the Memphis Grizzlies and beyond.
Easily the most high-profile move made by the Knickerbockers this past offseason was the signing of top-billed free agent point guard Jalen Brunson, who inked a four-year, $104 million deal with the club on the first day of eligibility.
With his addition, New York’s once bleak backcourt rotation has increased its strength considerably, as the 26-year-old is slated to take over the reins as the team’s lead guard.
The extent to which Brunson will impact this young and hopeful group has still yet to be seen, though his presumed primary backup, Derrick Rose, spoke out about his contributions to the team during a media session held on October 17, stating that the new Knicks guard has already showcased strong leadership skills during the short time he’s been with the organization.
“Me playing behind him and just seeing how much of a leader he is, like his leadership skills [and] how vocal he is, I’m learning from him on the go,” Rose said. “He’s always picking people up every day. He’s very persistent with his energy. You can hear it in his voice. That’s what you need from your point guard. We’re very lucky to have him.”
Rose, an already-established leader throughout his 15-year career who won the league’s Most Valuable Player award back in 2010-11, praising the fifth-year Brunson for his influence on this team should certainly be exciting for Knicks fans to see.
However, even without the veteran’s recent comments, already throughout the preseason spectators have already witnessed a few glimpses at how the point guard’s arrival has impacted New York’s success.
Knicks Look More Efficient With Brunson
Though it may have just been preseason basketball, the New York Knicks looked to be far more efficient with Jalen Brunson serving as their point guard than they did with their previous assortment of talents from last season.
Through four games played, the club lost just once while outscoring their opponents by an average score of 113.3 to 102. During this period, the Knicks’ offense flowed quite nicely, as they averaged 25.3 assists per contest, ranking them within the top 12 in this particular category.
Considering the fact that they finished dead last in this area last season, this is certainly a sign that the offense is already proving to be a bit more efficient and fluid now that they have a natural point guard in the mix.
On top of his impact on the team as a whole, Brunson finished the preseason falling behind just RJ Barrett in points per game, dropping 17.8 a night whilst converting on a highly efficient 49.0% of his attempts from the floor and 46.2% of his attempts from deep.
He would also go on to post averages of 4.3 assists (tied with Julius Randle for top rank on the team), 3.5 rebounds, and just shy of a steal per game.
Randle Compares Brunson to Former Lakers Teammate
Derrick Rose is certainly not the only Knicks player who has been impressed with how well Jalen Brunson has managed to gel with his new teammates, as Julius Randle recently was found praising the guard for his seamless fit on the roster.
During the team’s post-practice media session on October 16, the big man was asked by a reporter if he was surprised by how quickly Brunson has managed to mesh with New York.
In response, the former All-Star admitted that he was, and went as far as to say that the ease with which they’ve all managed to fit together reminds him of when he was initially paired up with a former teammate of his during his time with the Lakers.
“At least from my personal time [being] in this league, it’s probably about as easy [of] a fit, at least from the point guard position, I’ve seen,” Randle told the reporter. “Another one was with Lonzo [Ball] when I played with him in [Los Angeles]. His first year he was easy to play with from the start.
“But yea, Jalen’s been great from day one so it surprised us a little bit but if you watch his tape and know the type of player he is he’s a very high IQ player so he’s going to figure it out and he has.”
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