On the first night of free agency, the Knicks went out and did what they sought to, agreeing to terms with Jalen Brunson and finally filling the hole at point guard that’s plagued the franchise for so long. They also added Isaiah Hartenstein to a two-year deal, adding to their center depth that should soon once again feature Mitchell Robinson.
It’s early yet, and the Knicks may not be done for the summer. A resolution to the Julius Randle-Obi Toppin conundrum, another wing on the move or some other deal remains possible. Still, we can look at these key signings and see how they fit with the current rotation and scheme.
Brunson is the impact signing so we’ll begin with him.
The Knicks largely had a mix of Kemba Walker and Alec Burks playing the starting point last season, both of whom are now elsewhere. They’re replacing them with a 25-year-old, efficient 20-point, seven-assist guy who led the first round of the playoffs in scoring and performed through the Western Conference Finals. So, good move.
Offensively, Brunson has a number of dimensions to his game but is primarily a shifty, in-between bucket getter. He’s only 6-foot-1 but uses his strong build well to create angles and draw fouls. His jumper is pure in form and improves every season.
If you’ve only recently heard of Brunson, it was when he scored 41 and 31 points in back-to-back games against the Utah Jazz in the postseason, or when he had similar nights against the Suns or Warriors. Without Luka Doncic on the floor, Brunson excelled as the lead ball-handler, keeping up his efficiency and upping his creation.
He’ll immediately contribute by bailing the Knicks out of their woeful offense. New York ranked 23rd offensively in 2021-22, a trend now after struggling the year prior. Adding a 20 points per game player that can create on his own is huge.
Brunson will also competently manage the pick-and-roll and game flow. He can play off the ball if need be and can knock down catch-and-shoot threes. He’ll boost the Knicks' transition game as well, something sorely needed.
If all else stays the same, we know Brunson taking Walker’s and Burks’ minutes immediately propels the Knicks into average or 15-to-20th ranked offense territory, at the very least. Other factors include whatever kind of season Randle is going to have, if he’s even on the team, plus RJ Barrett’s development, but the point stands.
Beyond that gets tricky. How these three mesh when the game gets halfcourt-heavy will be interesting. Tom Thibodeau hasn’t exhibited much creativity in crunch time and this could get very your-turn-my-turn.
Who becomes the primary scoring option? It’s been Randle until midway through last season, and it’s undoubtedly him once again if he returns to 2020-2021 form. Barrett could take another step.
Ideally, having Brunson gives you a command center that better sets the other two up, but if they’re just more mid-post isolations, it limits how much Brunson adds to the table. He’d be a very interesting match with Toppin and the more athletic youngsters who resemble the switching Mavericks.
Defensively, Brunson shouldn’t be a concern. His height leads to the same moments we see with Walker and Immanuel Quickley when the defensive positioning and contest fall moot to sheer verticality, but he’s rock solid otherwise. Look no further than this Dallas team and their deep postseason run with Brunson at the top of the key.