New York Knicks point guard Jalen Brunson got off to a slow start, by his new-set standards, in the 2023-24 NBA regular season. It was a long summer for Brunson, who didn’t partake much in preseason because he played in the FIBA World Cup for Team USA. He also got married in what was a packed first offseason with the Knicks.
While he struggled in some regards in the early going, one area of his game that has been lights out is his 3-point shooting. Brunson, despite being listed at only 6’2”, has been excellent this season from long range, using an array of stepback jumpers to shoot over bigger opponents and being automatic on open jumpers.
On the season, Brunson is making 45.8 percent of his 3-point attempts, which would be a career-high. It is an area of his game in which he has worked tirelessly to improve, and the effort is paying off.
Brunson is now making 3.0 3-pointers per game, including a record-setting 9-for-9 performance last week against the Phoenix Suns to help his team get a hard-fought 139-122 victory. If he can keep up this level of shooting prowess, he is going to find himself in the Knicks’ history books as well.
According to the official NBA account on X, formerly Twitter, Brunson is averaging 25.6 points and 5.9 assists per game. If he can stay above the 25-and-5 numbers, he will become only the second player in Knicks franchise history, joining Richie Guerin, who did it during the 1961-62 campaign.
Joining Guerin would put Brunson in Knicks lore forever. But, that doesn’t even scratch the surface on how good he has been this season. 25+ points per game, 5+ assists, and 45+ percent on 3-point attempts while taking 5+ attempts per game has been accomplished by only one other player in NBA history; Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors during his unanimous MVP season.
Brunson is playing at a very high level and deserves a lot of credit for helping put the Knicks back on the map. He should certainly be an All-Star this season and will be considered for an All-NBA spot as well. It wouldn’t be surprising to see his name on a few MVP ballots this season, especially if he continues playing at a high level, leading the Knicks to wins.
More must-reads: