ATLANTA — The biggest hole on the Knicks roster has become more and more noticeable.
It’s allowed the Hawks to stymie Jalen Brunson.
One of coach Mike Brown’s biggest goals this season was to have Brunson play off the ball and allow others to more often facilitate the offense. The idea was to take some of that burden away from Brunson and create easier shots for him, while also keeping his supporting cast more involved.
But in the first three games of this first-round series, which the Knicks trail 2-1 and are “playing for our lives,” as Miles McBride said, that element of the offense has largely been absent.
“We called it a few times, you gotta give Atlanta credit,” Brown said Friday. “They did a nice job of defending it the few times we called it. But we gotta keep trying to implement it, whether it’s play call or within the flow of what we’re trying to do conceptually on the offensive end of the floor.”
The problem is that outside of Brunson, they lack ball handlers who are capable of creating and orchestrating the offense. Josh Hart can, but it’s not his ideal role. OG Anunoby is best as a spot-up shooter. Karl-Anthony Towns is a good passer, but he’s not someone who can break down a defense by himself. Mikal Bridges, despite Brown saying before the year he’d be the top candidate for the role, has floundered as a ball handler, particularly in Game 3 when he had four turnovers and was benched for the majority of the second half.
There are no true backup point guards in the rotation either. McBride and Landry Shamet play there at times, but neither is a natural. Jose Alvarado is, but his limited offensive ability has meant he’s on the fringe of the rotation. Tyler Kolek is completely out of the rotation.
So it’s all falling on Brunson again. And that means less movement on offense as a whole. As the four other players on the court stand and wait for Brunson to create everything, it makes it easier for the Hawks to blitz him, send double-teams and make it difficult for him to take high-quality shots. Usually, it’s Dyson Daniels or Nickeil Alexander-Walker guarding him, with help from a second defender.
In Game 3, Brunson shot 3-for-11 — and 0-for-3 from 3-point range — when guarded by Daniels or Alexander-Walker, per the league’s official tracking stats.
“They both are great defenders,” Brunson said. “You have to be smart, you have to be kind of tactical in what you do. Just being able to not really focus on what they’re doing but focus on your shot and doing the things that I need to do to make sure I’m comfortable shooting the shots I want to shoot and be in positions I want to be in. But you gotta give them credit. They make things very difficult.”
Nobody has had the ball in his hands more than Brunson during these playoffs across the league. He’s having to work incredibly hard for his shots — almost none of which are open.
The Knicks barely have anyone who can even bring the ball up the court, which would allow Brunson to collect it in the halfcourt and remove some wear and tear on him. Daniels and Alexander-Walker are picking him up full court, so by the time Brunson finally gets the ball into the halfcourt, he’s expended significant energy.
It was a little better when McBride was on the floor with Brunson in place of Bridges. There were a few possessions in the third quarter — during an 11-0 Knicks run — when McBride was able to bring the ball up the floor. When Bridges tried that, it was an utter failure.
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“We all have to be aggressive, not just to shoot the ball, but be aggressive to touch the paint [on drives],” Brown said. “And if you don’t have anything in the paint, you gotta spray it. We haven’t gone anywhere near our sprays that we’ve wanted to in these first three games.”
Brunson is also getting pummeled on the other end trying to guard CJ McCollum, who has torched him this series. So much so that the Knicks have been forced to change their coverage and have Hart guard him.
Overreliance on offense and getting bullied on defense equals a player who is getting worn out.
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