New York Knicks: Predicting the team’s leader in every statistical category

Jalen Brunson gets to run his own show, leads the New York Knicks in assists.

For the first time in his career, Jalen Brunson is going to be the primary playmaker and ball-handler on his team. Sure, playing with a generational offensive hub like Luka Donic has its perks, but it also requires sacrifice in terms of individual production. The New York Knicks are all-in on Brunson as their point guard of the future, going through leaps and bounds to court him.

At 6-foot-1, Brunson navigates screens with expert precision, using picks to put pressure on the defense and create better looks for the players around him. Showing steady improvement in the playmaking department with each season of his career, Brunson has a ton of versatility and an expert Basketball IQ dating back to his National Player of the Year campaign at Villanova. Putting two scoring options who average 20+ next to him should feel like a dream come true.

New York’s investment in the 26-year-old has to be a significant confidence boost after the Dallas Mavericks failed to extend the measly four-year, $55 million contract extension he was eligible for a year ago. Coming back to Midtown and playing in front of a Madison Square Garden crowd that he grew up cheering with, Brunson has the opportunity of a lifetime, and it’s a safe bet that he’s going to capitalize on it during the 2022-23 season.