Getty Jalen Brunson of the Dallas Mavericks in action during the first half of Game 6 of the Western Conference First Round Playoffs against the Utah Jazz.
After clinching their first winning season and playoff berth in eight years back in 2020-21, the New York Knicks followed things up with an all-out dud in 2021-22, finishing as the 11 seed in the Eastern Conference standings as well as with their 17th sub-.500 record since the turn of the century.
In an effort to try and stop their nose-dive back down towards mediocrity, this offseason Leon Rose and company went about and addressed several areas of concern within the team’s rotation, most notably by means of free agency.
Of the moves made, three, in particular, have been viewed as New York’s most attention-grabbing transactions: the addition of Isaiah Hartenstein, the re-signing of Mitchell Robinson, and the acquisition of Jalen Brunson.
With these specific summer endeavors, Bleacher Report’s Zach Buckley recently went about and gave them each a letter grade, and, surprisingly, the team’s most high-profile signing wound up receiving the lowest score.
Bestowed a “C” grade, Buckley believes that even though Brunson did just have the best season of his career, New York’s decision to shell out a four-year, $104 million deal in order to acquire him could be argued as being a bit of an overpay.
“While Jalen Brunson just engineered a career campaign, the Knicks clearly see another gear he can reach.
“His 2021-22 per-game numbers were nice (16.3 points, 4.8 assists), but that production doesn’t match up with his pay rate (four years, $104 million). That’s doubly true when considering New York had to part with multiple players and draft picks to clear the space needed to sign Brunson.
“It isn’t the worst gamble. Brunson is a three-point sniper (career 37.3 percent) and a slick scorer in the post. He competes defensively, and his playmaking should perk up in an offense that isn’t dominated by Luka Doncic.
“Is Brunson worth all of that money, though? That’s debatable. He struggles getting to the line, doesn’t stripe many off-the-bounce threes and is more of a combo guard than a floor general, which isn’t ideal for a 6’1″ player.”
Outside of Brunson, Buckley gave the signing of Hartenstein to a two-year, $16 million contract a “B+” grade while giving the four-year, $60 million deal Robinson received a “B.”
Brunson Fits Well With Knicks
Buckley does have a point that Jalen Brunson is more of a tweener guard rather than a full-fledged floor general but considering how the Knicks like to operate, this could actually be a blessing in disguise.
Ever since Tom Thibodeau was brought on to serve as New York’s head coach, the team has continuously used Julius Randle as their main ball handler.
Serving as a point forward for the Knicks, the team’s offensive scheme flows heavily through their star big. This has been made quite evident both through the eye test as well as with his career-high usage percentage of 29%.
Throughout his time in Dallas, Brunson saw himself serving as a secondary ball handler and playmaker alongside superstar guard Luka Doncic. In this role, he absolutely flourished, having himself a career year in 2021-22 and, in turn, earned a lucrative pay-day during his first free agency period.
With this in mind, assuming they keep this same offensive approach heading into 2022-23, having someone who can excel as a second-fiddle alongside a primary ball-handler in Randle could wind up being quite a luxury.
Some See Brunson as a ‘Tremendous’ Signing
Though Buckley may not be all that impressed with the signing of Jalen Brunson, there are others who believe it to have been a great acquisition for the Knicks, with some going as far as to call the move “tremendous.”
In fact, Buckley’s own cohort at Bleacher Report Greg Swartz recently stated that New York snatching up the point guard in free agency this summer could wind up “haunting” the Dallas Mavericks moving forward.
“Dallas refusing to offer Brunson even a four-year, $55.5 million extension last summer will end up haunting the franchise.
“Brunson proved he can perform on the biggest of stages after putting up 21.6 points, 4.6 rebounds, 3.7 assists and only 1.1 turnovers on 46.6 percent shooting in 18 playoff games this past spring. He has terrific body control that allows him to get into the teeth of the defense before attacking the rim or kicking out to an open shooter. His offensive estimated plus-minus rating of plus-2.1 ranked in the 91st percentile last season, tied with players such as Khris Middleton, Brandon Ingram and Tyrese Haliburton.”