Jalen Brunson will likely need to put the New York Knicks on his back if the team wishes to pull off an improbable comeback in the 2025 Eastern Conference Finals against the Indiana Pacers.
Trailing 2-0 in the series and heading into enemy territory for the next two contests, the 2025 Clutch Player of the Year and 26.0-point scorer in the regular season is a ball-dominant force that commands the attention of every defense he faces, but his play-style was recently lambasted by a former journeyman guard and 2015 All-Star with the Atlanta Hawks, Jeff Teague.
During a recent episode of Teague’s Club 520 Podcast, the 12-year veteran and 2021 NBA champion as a member of the Milwaukee Bucks explained why Brunson’s ball-dominant nature could be viewed as a negative, especially after the Knicks’ devastating 114-109 defeat at the hands of Indiana on Friday night.
“You know how the Knicks lose these games?” Teague asked Club 520 Podcast co-hosts DJ Wells and Brandon Hendricks on Saturday.
“The shot clock is 24 seconds, (Brunson) is holding that (expletive) for 17. Trying to get a pick-and-roll, bring another dude, bring another dude.”
“If he don’t make it, it’s like (expletive).”
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Though Brunson has garnered a reputation as one of, if not the best fourth-quarter performer in the NBA, he does have a tendency to get his teammates out of rhythm as he works in isolation to find his shot in pressure-filled situations.
In 28 clutch games this regular season, Brunson averaged 5.6 points and 1.0 assists on an absurd 63.4% true shooting percentage.
Unfortunately, those figures have decreased to 5.2 points and 0.6 assists with a 53.8% true shooting percentage and 26.7% accuracy from three-point range in 10 such appearances this postseason.
While the 6-foot-2 guard may have been a world-beater in the clutch prior to the playoffs, it may be time for the group to take Teague’s advice and begin hammering out the details of a new strategy for clutch-time, one where the 2-time All-Star may be featured in a different role.
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