Knicks stats that stand out: Jalen Brunson's ball security
Here is one (mostly) positive stat for seven Knicks rotation players so far this season.
The New York Knicks (14-8) are starting to round into form after an inconsistent start to the season. Head coach Tom Thibodeau is leading the NBA’s best offense (121.6 offensive rating) and it’s easy to see why. Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns are two of the most gifted offensive players in the league and perfect complements.
OG Anunoby, Mikal Bridges and Josh Hart are similar players in that they are rangy, versatile wings. But each one brings a specialty to the table as well. Add in the bounce and energy of Deuce McBride and Cam Payne off the bench to boot. This could be a scary team come playoff time.
The Knicks are trending upward with four straight wins and nine out of their last 11. These seven stats are crucial to why New York looks like it’s built to dominate a soft December schedule.
Unless otherwise noted, all stats are via NBA.com or Basketball-Reference entering Friday night’s games.
Jalen Brunson’s 3.39 assist-to-turnover ratio
Jalen Brunson takes a sizable leap every season and this year is no different. His shooting splits are creeping closer and closer to 50/40/90 territory, but let’s focus on his development as a pure point guard.
Brunson is averaging a career-high 7.5 assists per game without sacrificing any ball security. In fact, the lead guard is leading in that category. Brunson is currently first in the NBA in assist-to-turnover ratio among high-usage players (25% or more in at least 10 games):
Jalen Brunson — 3.39 AST/TO
Darius Garland — 2.90
Nikola Jokic — 2.81
Devin Booker — 2.77
Damian Lillard — 2.60
Alperen Sengun — 2.54
Trae Young — 2.53
Tyrese Maxey — 2.48
Jalen Williams — 2.47
Kyrie Irving — 2.47
Even if we expand that to 20% usage, he still clocks in at fourth overall. The Knicks are having a historically great offensive season and there are myriad reasons why, but it all starts with Brunson. He’s having an absurd season that isn’t receiving the attention it deserves.
Karl-Anthony Towns rebounds everything
Can I keep things simple without being accused of being a simpleton? Karl-Anthony Towns is averaging 13.2 rebounds per game (with 2.9 coming on the offensive glass). New York is missing its three top rebounders from the 2023-24 season — Isaiah Hartenstein (free agency), Julius Randle (trade), and Mitchell Robinson (injury).
Towns has a reputation as a bit of a softie. He’s been anything but soft in orange and blue. It’s no surprise to see his per-game rebounding averages jump after playing power forward his last two seasons in Minnesota. Still, it cannot be overstated how much his rebounding has contributed to this strong Knicks start. Towns has a legitimate chance to win the rebounding crown — he trails only Nikola Jokic (13.2).
OG Anunoby dunks everything
If you’ve watched the Knicks at all this year, you know this already.
OG. Anunoby. Dunks. Everything.
His defense is and always will be his calling card, but he’s been phenomenal on offense through 22 games. Anunoby is currently fifth in the NBA in dunks with 45. The other players in the top 10 for dunks are all traditional bigs (and Giannis Antetokounmpo however you categorize the Greek Freak):
Antetokounmpo — 76
Evan Mobley — 60
Jarrett Allen — 52
Rudy Gobert — 51
OG Anunoby — 45
Ivica Zubac — 44
Clint Capela — 44
Jaren Duren — 44
Daniel Gafford — 43
Trayce Jackson-Davis — 43
So, who cares about dunks? Well, first off, they are cool. But most importantly, Anunoby’s dunks are one reason why New York’s offense is humming at a historic clip. Although he’s had his fair share of transition dunks, he’s also taking advantage of mismatches in the post.
The big wing is taking advantage of his size more than ever, scoring 1.07 points per possession, which is in the 71st percentile in the NBA. This is a major uptick from his days with the Toronto Raptors. The Anunoby post up isn’t a bread-and-butter play for the Knicks, but it’s a curveball that can make out-scheming this offense almost impossible.
Teams can try to hide a traditional power forward or center on Josh Hart, but the Knicks can counter with Towns drilling threes and Anunoby physically dominating smaller guys in the post. For every outside-the-box defensive scheme, this Knicks offense has an even better counter.
Josh Hart finishing at the rim
Josh Hart is in a league of his own, converting on 78.6 percent of his shots at the rim. That doesn’t beat league-leading Victor Wembanyama’s 81.2 percent, but it’s still fourth in the NBA per shotcreator. Which one of these is not like the other?
Victor Wembanyama — 81.2%
Walker Kessler — 80.7%
Santi Aldama — 80.0%
Josh Hart — 78.6%
Robert Williams II — 77.4%
Jonas Valanciunas — 77.1%
Zach Edey — 76.7%
Nic Claxton — 76.5%
Goga Bitadze — 76.3%
Daniel Gafford — 76.3%
Hart is the only non-big in the top 10. Jayson Tatum clocks in at 15 overall with a 74.5 percent on rim FGAs.
Mikal Bridges above the break three is missing
Anyone plugged into the Knicks knows what the issue is with Mikal Bridges on offense — above the break three-pointers. He’s only 16 for 72 on these shots (22.2%), which would be a terrible batting average let alone field goal percentage. There is no doubt Bridges needs to find his stroke to justify the trade.
With that said, can we take a moment to focus on the positives? Bridges is money everywhere else on the floor. His 46.5% shooting on corner threes offsets some of the struggles from above the break. Not to mention, he’s solid in the mid-range, paint area and restricted area.
For all the consternation about Bridges so far this year, he’s been good, not great. There is plenty of room to improve (especially as his defense starts to round into form).
Deuce McBride is unconscious from deep
We can keep things simple for Deuce McBride. He is quickly becoming one of the best three-point shooters in the NBA. New York’s sixth man is 15-for-27 (55.6%) from three since returning from injury and 43.5 percent from deep on the season. That’s it. That’s all there is to it.
He also has the best crowd pop in sports right now. Anytime he rises for a three the crowd wakes up with a “DEUUUUUUUUUUUCE” crescendo. The expectation is that his shot will be pure. The Deuce pops aren’t confined to Madison Square Garden. This happens in every arena in the NBA.
Cam Payne’s 2-man lineup data
We don’t need numbers to confirm that Cam Payne is a positive almost every time he steps on the floor. It wasn’t long ago he was exuding energy into the Philadelphia 76ers against the Knicks in the playoffs. His exact quote was: “Energy costs nothing.”
It’s easy to see the energy he brings off the bench for New York and the lineup data backs that up. Payne has a positive net rating with every qualified two-man lineup except for Ariel Hukporti, who happens to be the player he’s played the fewest minutes alongside.
The pair of former Suns is working for the Knicks as Payne’s best minutes seem to be with his old pal Bridges. But then again, almost every two-man combination is working.
Apologies to Precious Achiuwa, Jericho Sims and the rookies for the omission. I kept it to the seven most impactful Knicks who will be mainstays in the rotation as long as health permits. The Knicks will face off against the Detroit Pistons (9-15) on Saturday night (7:30 p.m. ET) as they look to make it five consecutive wins.