How Jalen Brunson can further unlock Julius Randle's potential in Knicks offense

One of the key questions facing the Knicks entering this pivotal 2022-23 season is how their major offseason acquisition will fit with the current rotation. Adding Jalen Brunson means adding a legitimate 20-point scorer and lead ball-handler to help ease the burden off RJ Barrett and Julius Randle, the team’s two offensive focal points.

Brunson’s fit with Barrett should be straightforward. Last year’s breakout and much of his development came alongside Luka Doncic, another high-usage wing. One can see Brunson replicating that relationship with Barrett, playing off his gravity, scoring off the catch, and taking control when RJ needs a breather.

But what about his fit with Randle? The former All-NBA second-teamer struggled to find his comfort zone last season but didn’t have a real point guard to work with. What might he and the team look like with one?

Randle is a much more efficient player with a guard who is able to effectively get into the paint. He had a few this past season, with Derrick Rose hurt and Kemba Walker struggling, Alec Burks picked up their slack, which partially explains his massive regression.

Randle’s shooting numbers were much better this season with Rose playing – 43.2 percent from the field and 36.1 percent from deep – than without – 39.9 percent and 27.6 percent, respectively. In 2021, he had a healthy Rose, and even Elfrid Payton could get by defenders to find Randle in good positions.

Brunson brings more to the table than Rose or any Knick point guard since those two weeks of Jeremy Lin. Not only is he effective at getting to the paint, but he’s also one of the most efficient in-between and inside finishers in the game thanks to his bruising nature and shifty footwork. This should open up a lot for Randle in simple ways. Brunson can push the ball up and deliver entry passes much quicker than Burks did. 

He’ll be a much bigger threat to defenders on the pick-and-roll, naturally drawing attention from Randle. Teams would drop and late-switch onto Walker last season and live with the results, something that won’t be repeated this year. 

From offseason workout videos, it looks as if Randle is working on his in-between floater, which could come in handy when he’s dumped the ball on a short roll and hesitates. Last year, this situation would result in an ineffective pull-up, drive into traffic, or an indecisive moment that allowed defenses to catch up. A quick one-hander could be a weapon in diversifying his roll game with Brunson. 

Pick-and-pops should get Randle open whenever he likes, but he’ll need that catch-and-shoot three to start falling. Ditto for when Brunson gets a pick from Mitchell Robinson to clear up space in the dunker’s spot when Randle will be waiting in the corner. 

Randle is a great give-and-go partner on the high post, something that’s not utilized nearly enough in the Knicks offense. He and Barrett have chemistry there but it only appears every so often. Perhaps Brunson, a more diligent cutter and active player could bring it out more.

Another interesting twist is when the Knicks run Randle inverted picks, where a smaller player screens for him. He had some very nice two-man-game moments with Evan Fournier this way, and a stocky guard like Brunson who moves even better could open up easy looks.

There is a lot of potential here on paper, but it will take a Randle bounce back and some creative coaching to maximize it. There’s sure to be an adjustment on Brunson’s part, too. 

The Dallas team New York pilfered him from constantly preached spacing, with at most one paint-bound player on the floor at a time. Depending on how the Knicks are shooting, there could be up to three at once. 

This could prove troublesome for Brunson if he gets to the restricted area and is met with multiple players instead of one big. He’ll need to sharpen his playmaking chops, and his shot profile may need some adjusting to better suit New York's needs.

While Brunson is a solid three-point shooter, it’s not a huge part of his game as he prefers getting into the teeth of the defense. For reference, Precious Achiuwa took more of his shots from deep than Brunson did. 

For him to mesh with this Knicks team that for two years has struggled with spacing and efficiency on offense, he will need to tap into that long ball more. This is especially true on pick-and-rolls, where he can pull defenses higher and get Randle open inside with the off-dribble threat. 

We won’t know how this new trio will work until we see them in real NBA action, but the tools and pieces are there to get the Knicks back in the above-average category on offense. Now it’s about execution.