It was a sad start to the day for the New York Knicks and their fans after it came out that Julius Randle will miss the rest of the season after deciding to undergo surgery to repair his injured shoulder. And then the Knicks' day was seemingly only getting worse after the Sacramento Kings took a 21-point lead over them in the second quarter. But thanks to the dynamic duo effort of Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart, the Knicks came storming back to take home a 120-109 win.
Brunson has been on a tear as of late (he went off for 61 points last week), so it's not like it's a surprise that he put up 35 points and 11 assists to lead New York to a rousing comeback win. But Hart, who has struggled with his shot in recent months, went off for a season-high 31 points, and that was without him taking a single three-pointer on the night.
Even if the Knicks will be shorthanded the rest of the way this season, there is no reason for anyone to count them out, thanks in large part to Jalen Brunson's superstar exploits and the grit the rest of the supporting cast continues to show. But for Josh Hart, he jokingly believes that the Knicks could become an even better team if Brunson does more of the play-calling than head coach Tom Thibodeau.
“I think the next step is telling Thibs to shut up and he calls a little bit more of the plays. That’ll be the next step, but he’s too nice of a guy to do that, so maybe I’ll have to tell Thibs,” Hart said in jest, per Fred Katz of The Athletic.
Josh Hart has been a jokester as of late, as his comedy chops continue to be in full display as the greatest evidence of his close relationship with his Knicks teammates and head coach. Perhaps Hart simply wants Jalen Brunson to call more plays so he could get more shot attempts the way he did (19 field-goal attempts) during their comeback win against the Kings.
Jalen Brunson is him
Jalen Brunson has done nothing but surpass expectations since signing a huge free-agent contract with the Knicks in 2022. Now, he has become one of the most feared lead guards in the league, capable of getting to his spot and generating a good shot at will while being consistent night-in, night-out.
Brunson, on the season, is now averaging 27.9 points and 6.6 assists per game on 48/40/84 shooting splits — numbers of a bona fide superstar. He is the main reason why the Knicks remain competitive and will continue to do so even if Julius Randle, the man who ushered in the team's turnaround back in the 2020-21 season, won't be around for the playoff run.
Knicks' playoff outlook
Even with their latest win, the Knicks remain fifth in the Eastern Conference standings. As things stand, they are poised to take on the Orlando Magic in the first round of the playoffs — a matchup that might be difficult for New York even though they lap Orlando in terms of playoff experience.
The Magic have a plethora of defenders to throw at Jalen Brunson, with Jalen Suggs, Gary Harris, and Jonathan Isaac all capable to elite defenders, equipped to disrupt the Knicks star's rhythm. Orlando is 3-1 in the season series as well, although that rarely matters, if at all, when the playoffs begin.
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