Jalen Brunson 2024 NBA Playoffs Scouting Report: Dissecting New York Knicks point guard's impact and minutes

With the announcement that Julius Randle is out for the rest of the season, the New York Knicks will have to rely more on Jalen Brunson. The Knicks are yet to clinch a spot in the playoffs. They are 45-31 at the time of writing, but this will change as they have a game against the Chicago Bulls tonight (Friday, Apr. 5).

With six more games left on the Knicks' schedule, they could climb up as high as the second seed as a best-case scenario. Or the opposite could still happen and they could fall outside of the top six and end up fighting for a spot in the playoff spot through the play-in tournament. However, this also depends on how the teams ahead and behind them perform.

The one thing that New York does have in control is how they will play in the last few games of the season. However, they are in a tough spot as Brunson is probable for their game against the Bulls.

Should he miss this game, it'll only be Brunson's sixth absence all season long. In the five games he missed, the Knicks won only once, highlighting his importance to their offense.

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Jalen Brunson regular season stats

The 6-foot-2 first-time NBA All-Star is the focal point of coach Tom Thibodeau's offense. Here is how he performed throughout the regular season

Player	PTS	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	FG	3-PT FG%	FT%
Jalen Brunson	27.9	3.5	6.6	0.9	0.2	2.4	47.7%	39.7%	84.3%

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Jalen Brunson playoff stats

The Knicks' roster has some championship experience, as both Donte DiVincenzo and OG Anunoby have been a part of teams that have won the Larry O'Brien trophy before.

Brunson also has some playoff experience, having played in the postseason with the Dallas Mavericks in 2021 & 2022 as well as with the Knicks last season. In total, he has played in 36 playoff games. Here are his postseason averages.

Player	PTS	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	FG%	3-PT FG%	FT
Jalen Brunson	20.8	4.3	3.8	0.9	0.1	1.3	47.4%	34.5%	84.2%

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Strengths and weaknesses

Jalen Brunson is relatively fresh in terms of being dubbed the face of a franchise. In Dallas, he didn't handle the ball more than Luka Doncic. Now, he's shared the spotlight with Julius Randle with the Knicks.

However, with Randle's injury, Brunson will be put through a tough test as his team's leader. Defenses will make him a target, especially on the perimeter, but he should be able to use his craftiness to get around them.

He has handles, making him an effective point guard and the necessary court vision to get his teammates involved. He can make shots from anywhere on the court and isn't afraid to draw contact to get to the line.

Other players will get opportunities to score around Brunson and defenses will need to ensure they contain not only his elite scoring but his ability to find opportunities for others.

The Knicks' All-Star guard has all the tools to be an elite guard on the offensive side, but he tends to turn the ball over. He isn't careless, but errors in the playoffs are amplified, so expect defenses to capitalize on his mistakes.

He could also struggle on defense, especially against bigger and stronger guards. Matching another player's speed shouldn't be a problem for Brunson, but being overpowered is a risk.

Jalen Brunson is not a terrible defender by any means. He hustles and puts in the effort; just don't expect him to be an elite ball-stopper.

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Impact, role and projected playoff minutes

Especially now that Julius Randle is not expected to suit up in the postseason, Jalen Brunson is going to have to carry the load on offense for the Knicks. There's no question that he will put in the effort and it could be a nightmare to guard when he gets it going.

Every player who steps on the court with him will feed off of what he does, and he will have the biggest impact on the team's offense. Jalen Brunson has averaged 35.1 minutes per game this season and those averages could easily increase in the playoffs.

Teams are known to shrink their rotation in the postseason and with Thibodeau's reputation for relying heavily on his stars, expect Brunson to average closer to 40 minutes.