The New York Knicks have officially punched their ticket to the 2023 NBA postseason and easily one of the biggest contributing factors to their success this year has been the play of point guard Jalen Brunson.
Signed to a lucrative four-year, $104 million deal this past summer, the 26-year-old has seemingly outplayed his payday through the first 68 games of his tenure in the Big Apple.
Brunson’s production and overall impact on the club have been so substantial, in fact, that Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau couldn’t help but heap praise upon him during a media session held on Tuesday.
“I think the impact that he’s made has been terrific and I think that if you really dig into his numbers you’ll see how much he’s improved,” Thibodeau said. “He’s made a quantum leap this year…he has all the attributes that you value…and he always puts the team first. The best thing is the way he connects with people. He’s been great with all his teammates. He sets a great example each day in practice. You couldn’t ask for anything more.”
“He’s made a quantum leap this year…he always puts the team first. You couldn’t ask for anything more.”
Tom Thibodeau makes Jalen Brunson’s case for the NBA’s Most Improved Player award:
Now in his first season with the Knicks, Jalen Brunson has seen career-bests in virtually every statistical category. In 35.0 minutes per night, the fifth-year veteran is sporting averages of 24.0 points, 6.2 assists, and 3.5 rebounds while shooting 49.1% from the field and 41.6% from distance.
With his efforts, he has thrust himself soundly into the conversation for the league’s Most Improved Player award.
Knicks Guard Immanuel Quickley Favored in 6MOY Race
Jalen Brunson isn’t the only Knicks guard to be found in the running for a league-wide award come season’s end, as Immanuel Quickley is not only in the running for the 2023 Sixth Man of the Year award but is favored to win the award, according to DraftKings Sportsbook.
In their March 29 update, the third-year pro is listed as a -210 to be crowned the NBA’s king of the second unit.
Though there’s an argument to be made that Boston Celtics guard Malcolm Brogdon could wind up winning the award, there are some such as ESPN’s Zach Lowe who believe that Quickley may ultimately have the edge in the race.
“Quickley is just a menace to society and he just feels, to me — and this is almost unfair to Brogdon because it’s demeriting him for playing on a better team with two superstars or one superstar and one borderline All-NBA player at least in Jaylen Brown — Quickley just feels more essential to the Knicks’ identity and feel and style than Brogdon does in Boston,” Lowe said.
“Brogdon feels like this ingredient you plop in, he plays a little differently than the rest of the Celtics, like, ‘Go do your thing, get us some buckets…’ Quickley feels essential to the fabric of the Knicks in a way that Brogdon doesn’t the Celtics.”
IMMANUEL QUICKLEY IS RIDICULOUS 🤯
While his 2022-23 campaign as a whole has been quite impressive, the Knicks guard has been playing at an entirely new level since the beginning of January.
Over his last 41 games, Immanuel Quickley has been posting sensational averages of 16.7 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 3.3 assists while shooting 47.7% shooting from the field and 38.4% shooting from distance.
RJ Barrett Expected to Return Against Pacers
With the fourth seed still a possibility for the Knicks, their last few games of the season need to be viewed as “must-win” scenarios. A major key to rattling off three straight wins will be to have the team’s key players intact.
Though Julius Randle is obviously sidelined with a sprained right ankle and will remain out through at least the beginning of the playoffs, it appears New York will at least be getting one of their cornerstones back in RJ Barrett, as New York Daily News’ Stefan Bondy reported Tuesday afternoon that the wing is now “healthy”.
RJ Barrett is healthy and available to play tomorrow. Julius will not be traveling with the team on two-game trip.
Barrett was unfortunately held out of New York’s latest outing against the Cleveland Cavaliers due to a non-covid illness.
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Tom Thibodeau Issues Bold Statement on Jalen Brunson at Knicks Media Session