MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Jalen Brunson’s first night as a Knick wasn’t perfect. It didn’t end in victory. It featured some key missed shots late in regulation and overtime that could’ve changed the final result and early foul trouble that factored into the Knicks’ poor first half.
But it also showed why team president Leon Rose and coach Tom Thibodeau went all-out to land him. He fits into what they are trying to build in a mentally strong, tough and determined team. He shook off a poor start and played his best basketball in the second half, keying the Knicks’ rally from 19 points down. He didn’t force shots and got the Knicks into their offense, creating transition opportunities when they were there. He made game-saving plays in the final seconds of regulation, setting up Cam Reddish for a game-tying 3-pointer with 3 seconds left, then drawing a charge on Ja Morant with 0.5 seconds to go. He finished with 15 points, nine assists and zero turnovers.
Brunson didn’t hit any of his four field goal attempts in the extra session and didn’t get to the free throw line once, though it sure looked like Morant fouled him on his layup attempt early in overtime. The ball didn’t fall when Brunson and the Knicks needed it to. But there was so much to like about his debut, and to feel good that the Knicks have their point guard after starting 13 different players at that spot on opening night the last 14 seasons.
Below are some of my other thoughts from the interesting opener:
1. Before we anoint Cam Reddish as a major part of this team after his 22-point outburst in 28 minutes, let’s see this type of performance more than once. Part of what frustrated the Hawks and led them to moving Reddish last January was his lack of consistency. He obviously has the talent — you aren’t a lottery pick otherwise — but he was an enigma. He started last season with a 20-point performance in a rout of the Mavericks and had a pair of 30-point nights, but it just wasn’t there on a nightly basis.
Look at this fall. He was very shaky during the preseason, shooting 6-of-28 from the field with a minus-seven rating and failed to take advantage of opportunities given to him due to Quentin Grimes’ nagging left foot injury. One thing I really liked about Reddish’s night is the support he had from his teammates. Julius Randle kept telling him to be aggressive. Brunson said the Knicks believe in him. That is important for a struggling player.
In talking about Reddish several times over the last few weeks, Thibodeau has said he wants to see consistency. It’s essential for Reddish to carve out a role for himself. The other issue for Reddish is the logjam on the second unit. Grimes is going to play when he returns. So is Obi Toppin, Isaiah Hartenstein and Derrick Rose. Could it become a battle between Reddish and Immanuel Quickley, who followed up a poor preseason with an 0-for-5 dud? Before that becomes a potential issue, though, Reddish has to prove this game wasn’t an anomaly.
2. There were more second-unit woes in the opener, a continuation of the last two preseason games. Derrick Rose looked rusty after appearing in just 26 games last year. Quickley’s shot wasn’t there and Toppin failed to impact the game. While Reddish and Hartenstein both performed well, the others let the Knicks down, particularly Rose. He forced some shots, including a transition 3-pointer early in the fourth quarter that would’ve given the Knicks the lead and instead led to a Desmond Bane triple that served as a momentum swing.
3. I was expecting an angry Thibodeau, a fire-breathing Thibodeau, a furious Thibodeau. Instead, the Knicks’ coach took the loss in stride and mostly stressed the positives. For a coach who lives and dies with every game, this came as somewhat of a surprise. Which tells me he really likes his team and feels no need to get down on them for one loss against a quality team on the road. Maybe behind the scenes Thibodeau was different, although he rarely hides his emotions with the media. He wasn’t taking victory laps or a moral victory, but Thibodeau was encouraged by what he saw on opening night, in particular how his team handled adversity and rebounded when it looked like they would get blown out.
