Watch: Knicks' Jalen Brunson shows off passing ability vs. Wizards

Brunson had seven first-half assists, including a pair of dimes to centers Karl-Anthony Towns and Jericho Sims as the Knicks built a 19-point halftime lead over the Wizards. He also found his Villanova teammate and podcast partner Josh Hart for two buckets while Hart was outscoring Washington with a personal 8-2 run midway through the first quarter, one of them a spectacular no-look pass.

Not to be outdone, Brunson's backup, Cameron Payne, also had a very generous first quarter, dishing three assists. He also hit back-to-back threes, upping his three-point percentage for the season to a healthy 42.9 percent. Now that he's back from his hamstring injury, the Knicks suddenly have some healthy guard depth between Payne and Deuce McBride, though an illness kept McBride out Monday.

After a series of offseason trades, the Knicks lost a lot of their depth from last season. As Monday's game showed, they're still loaded at point guard.