He finished the regular season with a bang, to the point of winning the March “Player of the Month” trophy and then a 4th “Player of the Week” award, but Jalen Brunson is struggling at the start of the playoffs. Certainly, the Knicks lead 2-0 before going to Philadelphia for Game 3 of this first round of the playoffs, but for the moment it is role players like Miles McBride, Josh Hart or Donte DiVincenzo who make the difference .
“The answer is simple: I have to adapt, be calmer and understand what they are doing. Honestly, I just have to be better”, warns former Mavericks player. “There’s nothing rocket science about it. It's just, 'Jalen, you have to be better.' It’s that crisp and clear. »
An address in free fall
Of course, Jalen Brunson is far from being bad in the series, but if he scored 22 and 24 points in the first two games against the Sixers, it was by doing quite a bit: 8/26 on shots during the Game 1 then 8/29 in Game 2. All with a 1/6 behind the arc in both games. Which gives 29% on shots, and 17% on 3-pointers…
“For the most part, the shots I took were the ones I took all year.”defends the All-Star leader. “So I have to get better at putting them on. But we must also congratulate them.”
Congratulate who? The answer is given by Josh Hart. “(Kelly) Oubre and (Nicolas) Batum” replies the Knicks winger. “They defend on him all over the field. I don't think he has to do anything different. He takes shots that he usually takes, his skill is down, but his shots will eventually go in. He's got to keep shooting, keep being aggressive, that's what we need. »
While waiting for Jalen Brunson to regain his shooting success, his teammates will have to continue to fill the leader's gaps. Especially since opposite, Joel Embiid promised to win the series.
