BOSTON — Jalen Brunson is one of the best players in the NBA, especially when it comes to driving the ball. The New York Knicks guard averages 16.3 drives per game, which is the seventh-most in the NBA. He’s averaging the fifth-most points per game off drives (11.3) and takes the second-most shots per game off drives, too (8.9).
Though he only takes 6.4 free throws per game, Brunson’s ability to draw contact is one of his top skills, and the Boston Celtics are well aware of that. “Guarding him, I think we got to be smart,” Anfernee Simons said at Celtics shootaround on Tuesday morning. “Obviously, we know that he's looking for contact. Looking for the ghost fouls. So, we got to make sure we play with our hands out.”
But the first step in preventing Brunson from getting what he wants is denying him angles.
Celtics have to shut down Jalen Brunson's tendencies
Brunson does a great job of using his body to draw contact and bend defenses. His bag of tricks—hesitations, crossovers, and turnarounds included—is utilized in his quest to find the angle he wants.
For the most part, he likes to drive left. He wants to lull the defense to sleep with his dribble moves, get them off-balance, and then attack with his left hand. That’s what Boston will hope to stop in their Tuesday-night matchup against the Knicks.
“Not give him his angles,” said Simons. “I think that's what he's looking for, for the most part, those angles. Being able to impact the game that way. A lot of people give him angles, and he just takes them. He's really good at it. Drawing fouls or drawing the defense to kick out for all their three-point shooters. So, I think that's gonna be the biggest thing.”
Celtics also need to key in on Karl-Anthony Towns
But Brunson’s scoring ability isn’t the only threat he poses. New York has surrounded him with a plethora of talented players, with Karl-Anthony Towns being the best of the bunch.
His three-point shooting and offensive rebounding could burn Boston, but that’s just another thing they have to be aware of.
“Obviously, with KAT, closing the airspace quickly,” said Simons. “Those trail threes, he gets them up pretty quickly. So, closing the space and not giving him any room to drive right or drive into space. And so, it's easier said than done, but I think those are things that we need to do.”
Keying into Brunson’s tendencies will be crucial to the Celtics’ success against the Knicks.