After a narrow victory against the Hornets deprived of several of their executives and not really identified as real competitors in the East, there are still some nice smiles to be had on the Knicks side, after a generally very positive first week. At the top of the satisfaction section? Jalen Brunson, because little man didn’t take long to prove itself.
The stats of Knicks – Hornets, if you look a little you will find a useful Frenchman off the bench
It doesn’t look like much. He is not very fast at first sight, his trigger is negative, he is rather small for a basketball player. However, we are not talking about an accountant but rather Jalen Brunson, the main (and expensive) acquisition of the Knicks this summer, former lieutenant of Luka Doncic in Dallas brought back to NYC to play the leaders. Good news, after four games the doubts of some have enough to be lifted on the ability of JB to take the lead of a team like the Knicks. Only four games but a satisfying sample, and even more since that night and that huge game against the Hornets.
27 points, 7 rebounds, 13 assists. 10/15 shooting and 5/5 throwing. A huge 3-point shot to tie everyone with 1.30 remaining, another to start overtime and put the Knicks, SES Knicks on track, and all without ever forcing anything, with this mixture of mischief and serenity that we already knew about him but that he still had to assume in a high-pressure context. It took serenity in this match, because despite the absence – approximately – of the 47 best players in the region on the Hornets side (LaMelo Ball and Terry Rozier injured, Miles Bridges you know), despite a bizarre match which will have allowed Théo Maledon to show himself with 15 points and 4 assists off the bench, Tom Thibodeau’s players almost returned empty-handed from Madison, who nevertheless screamed his joy at the end of the match.
The atmosphere… ❤️pic.twitter.com/rTHw72Cukf
— TrashTalk (@TrashTalk_fr) October 27, 2022
Fortunately Mitchell Robinson took out the slap box in the money time, fortunately Kevin Knox no longer lives in New York (for free), and if Evan paid for his aggressive defense by going out for six fouls and if Julius Randle knew how to get his fingers out at the right time, it was little Jalen who reassured everyone when necessary.
27 points, 7 rebounds and 13 assists for Jalen Brunson.
10/15 shooting, 2/5 three-pointers, 5/5 throwing.
Ultra clutch, la vista, broad shoulders: his best match in the New York jersey.
He will unleash the fans there, if he continues this kind of perf.
— TrashTalk (@TrashTalk_fr) October 27, 2022
Reassuring everyone with the ball in hand, and this feeling, too, of confidence when the swelling belongs to him, it’s a payday that we hadn’t experienced this kind of feeling in New York. Will Jalen Brunson revolutionize the history of the franchise? Maybe not, no. But the beginning of his story with the Knicks is tinged with accuracy and good results, because the Knicks are this morning at 3-1, just to link business with pleasure.