2 Studs and 3 Duds from Knicks' embarrassing loss to Celtics in season opener

Jalen Brunson was a stud

Jalen Brunson is the alpha and omega for the New York Knicks, the player who stirs the drink and carries the offense. Defensively the Celtics continued to take advantage of his lack of length and size, as they play two large guards plus two perimeter-oriented forwards. He was a target on defense.

On offense, however, Brunson was able to thrive. He scored 22 points on 9-for-14 shooting from the field, hitting all of his free throws. He was able to drive into the teeth of the defense and make the right play, occasionally also setting up a teammate to do the same.

Karl-Anthony Towns was a dud

The New York Knicks mortgaged the farm to add Mikal Bridges, and then they leased all of their equipment to add Karl-Anthony Towns. At best it was a trade they had to make to balance the roster, but the onus was always going to be on Towns to make the lineups work defensively.

The early returns were...disappointing. Towns was the victim of a plethora of offensive sets that tried specifically to minimize his defensive impact. He literally and figuratively spun in a circle at times as the Celtics' offense ran rough-shod against the Knicks.

Seemingly the most inexplicable detail of a Tom Thibodeau team is that they are starting Karl-Anthony Towns at center and he isn't a plus shot-blocker - or even one at all, logging no steals or blocks.

On offense, Towns handled the ball a lot but rarely seemed comfortable finishing it himself. He shot a ho-hum 5-for-9 from the field with only a single triple; if Towns is going to be a difference-maker for the Knicks' offense then he needs to be getting up 8-10 3-pointers. In the end, Towns had just 12 points and a legacy of terrible futures.