Build Around Jalen Brunson and They Will Come | The Knicks Wall

For the first time in years, the Knicks have a true star guard on the roster. Now they need to put the right pieces around him.

Things are different this summer for the New York Knicks. For the first time in nearly ten years, they are coming off a real postseason run. Even better, the core of that playoff run will stay together. That core includes a runner-up for Sixth Man of the Year and three starters under the age of 25.

In the middle of all this positivity is Jalen Brunson. To say Brunson made a difference in New York would be as massive an understatement as saying Tony Soprano has anger issues . Despite the ridicule they faced at the time of the signing, the Knicks’ return on their $104 million investment was a change in trajectory to their title window.

It is no longer ludicrous to suggest the Knicks are a few tweaks away from declaring themselves title contenders. Brunson’s leap to stardom was an unforeseen blessing. He solved many problems that plagued the franchise and moving forward, every key decision the front office makes must be with Brunson in mind.

The good news is the team could take a step forward without doing anything major. A Quentin Grimes leap next season could address a major problem that held the Knicks back in their second-round series against the Miami Heat — lack of shooting.

How exactly the team navigates the summer is anyone’s guess. With Scott Perry no longer in the general manager chair, and Daryl Morey disciple Gersson Rosas rumored to take over the position, the offseason can spin off a few different ways. No matter which scenario the front office opts to go, it must have one mantra: build around Brunson.

Brunson should be the only player truly off-limits. That sounds harsh for a team that has talented young players like RJ Barrett, Immanuel Quickley and Quentin Grimes on it, and an All-NBA player in Julius Randle, however the results spoke for themselves when the games started to matter.

Building off a regular season in which Brunson set a career-high in points per game (24.0), assists per game (6.2) and three-point percentage (41.6%), he continued to produce at a star level in the postseason.

In eleven postseason games, Brunson averaged 27.8 points per game and dished out 5.6 assists per game. Unfortunately, Brunson was an exception as the drop-off after Barrett (19.3 points per game) was , to put it mildly.

The postseason run did provide the roadmap for the front office. No extreme makeovers are needed. Having said that, considering Brunson provides star-level output on a bargain contract, if now was ever the time to hit the gas on becoming one of the best teams in the league, now would be the time to do it.

Immediate Fixes

Home is Where the Hart Is

The first order of business is retaining the midseason acquisition that helped transform the team into a force. The Knicks went 17–8 after trading for Josh Hart, who was a key player in the first-round series against the Cavaliers.

Hart’s knack for hauling in rebounds is uncanny, as is his endless energy. Tom Thibodeau quickly grew to rely on him to take on tough defensive assignments, which led to the Villanova wing finding his way into the closing lineup more nights than not.

Beyond the basketball reasons, having Hart around is clearly good for Brunson. The chemistry built from playing with each other for so long is evident. Unlike summers past, the Knicks do not have a ton of cap room this summer. Ensuring the core of the playoff team remains intact should be the bare minimum requirement.

Hart was at the center of all the good action last season. A contract similar to what the team gave Evan Fournier ($18 million per year) would be the price, and money better spent. As Erik Spoelstra said about Villanova guys, they are as tough as they come.

Shooting, Shooting, Shooting

The lights being too bright for the Cleveland Cavaliers hid the Knicks’ lack of accuracy from beyond the arc. Erik Spoelstra’s masterclass mopping of Tom Thibodeau put a nice big spotlight on that weak spot.

As a team, the Knicks made 105 three-pointers the entire postseason, shooting a dismal 29.2%. An ankle injury to Randle and a shoulder injury to the best natural shooter on the team, Grimes, played a factor,s as did Quickley disappearing completely.

Sticking with the Villanova theme, Donte DiVincenzo is expected to hit the open market this summer. He outplayed his contract in his first season at Golden State mainly as the sixth man, although he did start 36 games and shot a career-best 39.7% from beyond the arc on 378 attempts — also a career-high.

The shooting is backed by similar traits to his Nova teammates Hart and Brunson: endless energy, solid defense, and smarts. With his college pedigree plus winning a title with the Milwaukee Bucks and spending a year with the Warriors, DiVincenzo brings a seamless fit to the existing group.

Another key area that cost the Knicks against the Heat was an ineffective second unit. Slotting DiVincenzo between Quickley and Hart could be the facelift the bench mob needs to return to being a strength of the team.

If the market becomes too pricey for DiVincenzo, that means other quality targets like Bruce Brown or Max Strus are also out of the question. Gary Trent Jr. could be an option if he opts out of Toronto. And then there is the expiring contract of Evan Fournier that could be used to net a shooter on the trade market.

Long-Term Vision

Big game fishing is always a prevalent topic with the Knicks, so it should never be totally written off. While there is no immediate angle this summer, there are definitely some ripples in the pond worth monitoring.

Before your eyes pop out of your skull from the names that follow below, remember, that if the team is going to surrender five-plus first-round picks it has to be for a certified world-beater. That price of picks was clearly too much for Donovan Mitchell, a harsh but accurate read of the return in hindsight given the value Brunson was signed to.

Mitchell is no doubt one of the better players in the league, however, he is just below the superstar threshold — at least in the way the team views superstars. Having said that, when you think about adding another star alongside Brunson, and factor in the cost of crucial rotational players and picks heading out the door, it is best to focus on guys you know could bring the best out of Brunson. Likewise, it should be a player that Brunson in turn could bring the best out of.

Luka Doncic is the person you throw all the chips into the center of the table for. To refer to him as anything less than a generational talent is considered slander. Doncic would add a true superstar who has the potential to do special things given the right team. No matter who would survive a blockbuster trade, Doncic would be surrounded by guys who will defend.

Right now Doncic is nothing more than a dream. Kyrie Irving is allegedly trying to get LeBron to Dallas. Given Kyrie’s history, the Mavericks could easily fall off the face of the earth in a matter of weeks if Kyrie is instead lured to Los Angeles. If that happens, and the Mavericks begin to struggle, Doncic could ask out, and if he does the Knicks could be the first team on the phone .

While Doncic to New York is nothing more than a marker setter here, Joel Embiid watch actually has legs. James Harden could return to Philly, he could not. If the Sixers take a step back, ESPN’s Tim McMahon believes the Knicks would be very pleased.

“They’re not hoping for patience, they’re hoping for The Process, McMahon said on an episode of The Hoop Collective Podcast. “I don’t know if that’s coming, but they’ve looked at that situation in Philly and there’s been a hope in New York that stuff in Philly will go haywire to the point where Embiid will ask out. I don’t know the percentage odds on that, I would say they are slim, but that’s been the hope.”

Embiid would give the Knicks their most dominant force down low since Patrick Ewing. Even the staunchest of Mitchell Robinson fans would have to appreciate the upgrade Embiid would be — which is much more of a reflection of Embiid’s talent than it is of Robinson.

Brunson and Embiid is a great foundation for a team geared to win now. The reigning MVP is the second-best center in the league and helps even the fight against the teams they struggle against most-the Bucks and Heat.

There still lies that major roadblock of trading within the division. Even if Gersson Rosas is the next general manager, would that bring Morey to the negotiating table? Not exactly something you bank on.

The good news is there is no immediate rush to pull the trigger on this type of trade. The NBA landscape can shift on a dime, and the Knicks still have enough assets to join any sweepstakes if the opportunity presents itself.

Brunson has proven good enough that internal development and clever signings could keep the forward momentum going toward a title window.

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Originally published at https://theknickswall.com on June 9, 2023.