Nov 27, 2024; Dallas, Texas, USA; New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) in action during the game between the Dallas Mavericks and the New York Knicks at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Knicks Star Projected to Make Major Scoring Comeback

Originally posted on New York Knicks on SI
By Henry Brown | Last updated Oct 2, 2025 7:00 AM ET

Jalen Brunson jumping ship to the New York Knicks three summers ago marked the start of his ascension into one of the NBA's best scorers, with his finally proving himself worthy as a winning franchise player.

He's maintained a 26.4 point per game average across those three seasons with the Knicks, and with his team taking contending more seriously with each passing season, he's shown no sign of slowing down in creeping deeper into his 20s. New York lords over the majority of the eastern conference behind the near-constant threat of Brunson walking his daily opponents down in the clutch, and though their reinforced bench won't require as much heroism, he'll still get his buckets.

Bleacher Report certainly thinks so, throwing him a bone as a projected-top-10 scorer in this upcoming regular season, barely outranking San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama for the No. 9 spot on the list.

"New head coach Mike Brown presided over a Sacramento Kings offense that set records in 2022-23, and we should assume he'll bring some of that ball-moving, pace-pushing magic to this year's New York Knicks," Grant Hughes wrote. "Just don't expect him to do anything that marginalizes Jalen Brunson, who's averaged 26.4 points on 19.3 field-goal attempts per game across three years with the team."

"Brunson is among the best isolation weapons in the game, but he doesn't need to lead the league in time of possession for what would be the third straight year. The theory here is that Brunson, who finished 10th in scoring last season, can improve on his average by being less fatigued and more frequently set up by teammates in a more diverse attack."

New York Knicks Guard Jalen Brunson Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Knicks coach Mike Brown has already hinted towards such a shift, looking to maximize ball-movement and less effort on his star's part in aiming to keep him fresh for their likely postseason run. Josh Hart admitted that fatigue played a role in New York's most recent playoff quest, as the season's minutes leader felt the team's starter-reliant approach to rotational balance more than anyone.

Bleacher Report's assumption would have Brunson still lagging behind of a few backcourt counterparts across the league, with Devin Booker, Cade Cunningham, Anthony Edwards, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and old friend Luka Doncic finishing above New York's point guard as the likeliest bets to end up back at the top of the scoring leaderboard. But that's the company that Brunson's asserted himself with, the most dependable night-to-night bets to fill the stat sheet. His enhanced team odds may sap from this category, but his energy conservation will come in handy down the road.

This article first appeared on New York Knicks on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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