Jalen Brunson scored 33 and set up 11 baskets Friday. The next adjustment I’d make for the Knicks is to get him the ball later in a few possessions, after somebody else has already made the defense move. He can still decide how those possessions end. He doesn’t have to fight his way into every one of them.
Indiana won 106-104 in the NBA Cup. Brunson made 11 of 22 shots and turned it over four times in just under 36 minutes. He was plus-eight in those minutes. The official box score also had Karl-Anthony Towns at 23 points, 15 rebounds and five assists. There was a second player on the floor who could make good things happen once somebody got him the ball in the right spot.
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I’d put Towns at the elbow with Brunson coming across his shoulder. If the defender follows Brunson around the screen, hand him the ball while his man is behind him. If the defense jumps the handoff, Towns can keep it and go to the rim or find the cutter on the other side. Brunson is still the dangerous part of the play even if he doesn’t touch it. A defense leaving him open to slow Towns down would be making a choice New York should welcome.
The difference from a standard Brunson ball screen is where his first dribble comes. If he takes it at the top with a defender square in front, he has to create the angle himself. If he comes around Towns, he can get that same angle with a step already on the defender. Those are two different ways to ask the same player to create a good shot. I’d use the second before he needs three possessions in a row to get the first one working.
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There are places to leave the current call alone. With eight seconds on the shot clock, I’d rather have Brunson attack straight away than spend three seconds getting Towns to the elbow. If the defense starts pre-switching the handoff, the simpler two-man action may be better. Mike Brown can run both from the same personnel. He doesn’t need to announce a new closing lineup to see whether the change buys a cleaner first step.
New York should also keep the weak-side corner occupied. If that player comes up to watch the handoff, his defender gets a free step toward Brunson. A shooter who stays put makes the helper choose between stopping the drive and giving up a pass he can’t recover to in time.
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Friday’s plus-eight isn’t a lineup study. It also doesn’t prove the team would have won with another minute of Brunson. It says the team had a productive night with him on the floor and lost anyway. Before the Toronto game Sunday, I’d add two calls that start through Towns and end with a choice for Brunson. Start there before asking him to score even more.
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