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The original was posted on /r/nba by /u/RVAIsTheGreatest on 2024-09-17 16:32:46+00:00.
Jalen Brunson was a monster in the playoffs, regular season as well, after Julius Randle went down, averaging 31 PPG during the regular season and 32 PPG in the playoffs. Anunoby went down as well and the Knicks had other injuries up and down their roster, including Jalen himself. He was banged up but carried the Knicks to the second seed in the playoffs and in defeating the Sixers in the first round of the playoffs.
That being said, the Knicks’ limitations without Randle were often exposed throughout the playoffs. DiVincenzo did his best and McBride and Burks had their moments but they didn’t have a second creator to consistently release pressure off Brunson and especially so after OG went down. Most people do not seem to realize that the Knicks the last two seasons with Brunson and Randle together have been a top 5 offense. They did that with RJ Barrett as their third scorer for 1.5 seasons and then OG. This season it’s going to be Mikal Bridges.
But they aren’t a top 5 offense without Julius. He’s a horse of a scorer. He struggled to start last season, people forget he was having probably the best stretch of his career when he went down. You get some bad decision making but his playmaking talent is crucial for the Knicks since they don’t have a lot of it outside of Brunson. He’s someone who will find the kickout from the post and on the drive. Brunson is one of the best spot up shooters in the NBA and we’ll see more of that this season with Julius healthy again.
He’s taking more efficient shots within the flow of the offense and he found his groove last season by putting his head down and attacking more off the catch and looking to score more from closer to the basket and in his midrange comfort zone vs drives from the perimeter and 3’s. He’s a beast, and the Knicks were an elite team last year with Brunson+Randle+OG.
There are some claiming the Knicks are better without Julius and others floating trades, but I think Julius is a great fit and a necessity for this team to get to the mountain top. What do you all think? Is Julius Randle’s return from injury being slept on as a story line for this season?