Getty Jalen Brunson of the New York Knicks.
The New York Knicks are rolling — in no small part thanks to Jalen Brunson.
Not only could Brunson be the saving grace of the Knicks (2-1), SNY’s Ian Begley predicted on opening day, but he could save the sliding reputation of head coach Tom Thibodeau.
“I have a Jalen Brunson hot take,” Begley predicted October 19 on his “The Putback” podcast. “I really think [the Knicks will] be solid early on and they’ll continue to grow over the course of the year.
“I think Jalen Brunson — what he can do for this team is — I think he’ll end up cooling off Tom Thibodeau’s seat, and I think he will end up having Tom Thibodeau look like more of the coach he was in Year 1 with the Knicks than he was last year.”
Brunson, who signed a four-year, $104 million deal in July, is averaging 17.7 points and seven assists through the first three games, and many are unequivocally pointing to his addition as the Knicks’ spark to their hot start.
Thibodeau Has Been Up and Down With Knicks
Considering Thibodeau’s seat was rumored to be incredibly hot coming into this season, a 180-degree turnaround from the Knicks’ 37-win season in 2021-22 could allow him to keep his job.
In his first season in 2020-21, Thibodeau led the Knicks to the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs for their first postseason berth since 2013. He named Coach of the Year for the second time. Year 2, after several win-now transactions, did not play out as well and the team finished 37-45 and missed the playoffs.
Much of the blame was focused on Thibodeau. In his third season at the helm, some have said Thibodeau needs to lead the Knicks to a top-nine seed to keep his job.
Brunson and the new-look roster could lead New York into the playoffs and back to relevance.
Begley Down on Knicks Big 3 Averaging 20+ Points
In an October 17 episode of SNY’s “Begley’s Mail Bag” segment, Begley was asked by a fan whether he believes the Knicks’ Big 3 of Jalen Brunson, RJ Barrett, and Julius Randle could each finish the 2022-23 campaign with scoring averages north of 20 points.
In response, the reporter discussed the fact that due to their apparent uptick in ball movement, seeing this trio post such numbers is a bit far-fetched.
“I don’t think so,” Begley said. “I think one of those three would have to take a back seat if the other two are going to average more than 20 [points].
“Because of the Knick offense and the way the ball at least was moving in the preseason, it doesn’t seem like somebody is going to get, or two people or three people are going to get enough shots on a nightly basis to get to 20 over the course of a season.”
Through three games played, it appears that Begley’s prediction is showing glimpses of becoming a reality, as the Knicks have just one player in Randle averaging 20 points or more a night, with Brunson and Barrett trailing behind at 17.7 and 16.3 points per game, respectively.