The New York Knicks have to be happy about being up 2-0 in their first-round series of the 2024 NBA Playoffs against the Philadelphia 76ers. They could very easily be down 2-0 with their star player Jalen Brunson struggling on the offensive side of the ball.
New York’s grit and no-quit attitude have been on full display. In both games they have trailed by double-digits and in Game 2 they overcame a five-point deficit with 47.3 seconds remaining in the game to steal a win.
Normally, it would be Brunson leading the team in those situations. He has stepped up regularly when the team has needed him most, but he has been in a slump through two games against Philadelphia.
Brunson is in quite literally the worst shooting slump of his NBA career. He shot 8-of-26 in Game 1 and 8-of-29 in Game 2. As shared by KnicksMuse on X, this is the first time Brunson has shot under 30 percent on 40+ shot attempts in a two-game span ever.
Despite that, the Knicks are heading to Philadelphia for Games 3 and 4 of the series with a commanding 2-0 lead. They can thank supporting cast players such as Josh Hart, Donte DiVincenzo and Miles McBride for that as they have each picked up the slack offensively.
Just how bad has Brunson been? His start in the 2024 NBA Playoffs has been historically poor. As shared by StatMamba on X, Brunson’s 29.1 percent from the field through the first two games is the second-worst postseason start ever. The only player who was worse was Joe Fulks, who shot 17.6 percent in 1948.
That certainly isn’t a list anyone expected Brunson to be on. He has been efficient throughout his NBA career and is normally a consistent source of production for the Knicks. But, the 76ers have done a good job of limiting him, forcing his teammates to step up.
To this point, they have answered the call and staked the Knicks to a 2-0 lead. That is certainly an encouraging development to see the other players step up, but if New York wants to make a deep run in the 2024 NBA Playoffs, they will need Brunson to get on track.
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