The New York Knicks have centered their offense around Jalen Brunson since the day he arrived and metrics show that he’s dominating the ball more than any player in the league. Heliocentric offenses are built to take advantage of playmakers with versatile skill sets, so it makes sense for Brunson to be directing traffic. He’s touching the rock more than ever before in his third season with New York.
Brunson backed up Luka Doncic with the Dallas Mavericks before leaving to pursue more money and a larger role ahead of the 2022-23 season. He immediately racked up 8.5 minutes of possession per game in his inaugural season with the Knicks. Only Doncic and James Harden touched the ball more per contest that campaign. Brunson bumped his time of possession per game to a league-leading 8.6 minutes per contest last season. Now he’s up to a league-high 8.7 minutes per game. No player has touched the ball more per game or held the ball as long as Brunson per touch over the previous two seasons. He’s using his influence in New York to reach new heights as a creator.
Brunson posted a career-high 28.7 points per game in 2023-24. His scoring has dropped slightly in 2024-25, but he’s dishing out a career-high 7.4 assists per game with a more capable group of scorers around him. His individual production hasn’t led to team success against the NBA’s best teams, though.
The Knicks are a combined 0-7 against the Cleveland Cavaliers, Boston Celtics, and Oklahoma City Thunder this season. New York has at least as many wins as every team in the NBA aside from the aforementioned squads, the Denver Nuggets, and the Memphis Grizzlies. Their NBA title odds are +1400 on BetMGM and adjustments might be necessary to win a series against the better teams in the Eastern Conference.
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