Jalen Brunson is the engine of hope for the future of the New York Knicks | Sports New Spain

The data went viral. Jaylen Brunson A few days ago he became the first player since then 2009 in having consecutive years as its starting point New York Knicks in the first game of the season.

A year ago, the 27-year-old point guard was under the scrutiny of the entire NBA after signing a contract 104 million dollars for four years. He emerged from Luka Doncic’s shadow on the Dallas Mavericks to lead a media bombshell like the Knicks every year. And he ended up taking those from the Big Apple to the second round of the Playoffs while the Mavericks didn’t even manage to crack the top ten in the West.

Now the expectations are different. The Knicks are betting on the continuation of the projectwith Tom Thibodeau as coach and loyal soldiers in Brunson, Julius Randle, RJ Barrett, Josh Hart, Mitchell Robinson, Quentin Grimes and Immanuel Quickley.

They are not favorites or second-string contenders for the title, but after winning 47 games in the last regular season and reaching the sixth game of the Eastern semifinals in the playoffs, we hope that they can achieve a little more and enter among the Last four teams standing in the postseason for the first time since 2000. A complicated wish with the Milwaukee Bucks and Boston Celtics on that side of the league.

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The Knicks are the second team to retain the most male players in their rotation since last season, and their only notable move in Free Agency was the signing of Donte DiVincenzo. Its structure remains solid, but The highlight must be done by Jalen Brunson.

So much Randle as RJ Barrett they have repeatedly shown that they are inconsistent as offensive options, but not Branson. They trust to put the ball in their hands and give them the answers they need in the fourth quarter as they did in so many games last season.

After an expected opening loss to the Boston Celtics, albeit painful because they blew a six-point lead in the final minutes, the Knicks needed to show their faces in Atlanta this Friday, and they did: They beat the Hawks 126-120 on the roadwith Branson at the level they need.

Jalen finished with 31 points and 5 assists signature a a spectacular 8-12 on 3-pointers, the ninth-highest three-pointer in a game in Knicks history and tied for the second-highest mark in the last five seasons. The most important, Branson’s career highafter the jump as a shooter he made last season, developing from 37% triple hit rate to 41%.

There’s an argument to be made for Brunson as the second-best point guard in the entire Eastern Conference behind Damian Lillard, based on what he showed in the Playoffs last season. The main discussion could be with Trae Young in this place, and he from the Knicks won the head-to-head this time.