It was not going to be an overnight process for New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson to adapt to new head coach Mike Brown’s system. He struggled in the preseason opener, as the growing pains were apparent.
Knicks’ Jalen Brunson bounced back in the second preseason game
However, he quickly bounced back in their second preseason game. He scored 14 points and shot 5-for-10 from the field, looking much more like the superstar he has become over the years.
Coach Brown talked about how Brunson is adapting to the system after the game and was impressed with how quickly he has made the adjustments.
“He’s starting to adjust. You could see it. I think this is going to be good for him. Because you could see how much space when he has the ball. If you want to pressure a guy like Jalen when he has the space, there’s a pretty good chance he’ll make you pay for it,” Brown said (h/t Posting and Toasting).
Brunson has to learn a completely different scheme
For the first three seasons Brunson has played with the Knicks, they were all under Tom Thibodeau, who coached a much different style than Brown. Thibodeau’s offense was slower paced and isolation-heavy, but Brunson molded his game through that system and thrived in it.
Under Brown, the team is expected to play at a much quicker pace and move the ball around more, which will certainly take time for Brunson to adjust to. However, once he does fully adapt to the scheme, the sky is the limit for both him and the team.
Through the first two preseason games, there have been several signs of excellent, free-flowing offense. The Knicks are getting more threes up and playing much faster, and with the abundance of talent they have on the roster, they could end up being the top offense in the league.
Brunson will look to continue building off of a strong performance in their next preseason game, which will be back home at Madison Square Garden against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Thursday.