New York Knicks All-Star point guard Jalen Brunson recently received a heap of praise from one of his competitors following the team’s last game against the Detroit Pistons.
Pistons’ Cade Cunningham compliments Knicks All-Star Jalen Brunson’s offensive skill
Cade Cunningham — the Pistons’ vaunted point guard — spoke on the difficulties that come with trying to contain Brunson’s potent offensive abilities:
“He just knows the ins and outs of the game,” Cunningham told reporters. “He knows how to get to his spots. He’s physical and can knock down shots at a high level. All of those things make him a really tough guard. It takes a group to guard him. We just didn’t execute our gameplan good enough for the first group.”
Brunson was electric in the Knicks’ 128-98 win over the Pistons on Friday evening. The Villanova product put up a season-high 36 points and added five assists and two steals to that total. He was also incredibly efficient, shooting 14-22 from the field and 6-8 from downtown.
Cunningham and his teammates were not able to hold Brunson, and as a result, he finished as a plus-23 on the affair. This was the type of coming out party that Knicks supporters were longing for through the early portion of the season, and one the Pistons’ young star was hoping would be delayed for at least another game.
- Should Knicks roll dice on low-risk, high-reward former All-Star?
- Knicks plan to bring back sharpshooter on two-way contract
- Knicks could forge hot winning streak with favorable upcoming slate
Knicks: Brunson has a history of going to work against Cunningham
Nevertheless, the former No. 1 overall pick from 2021, who has now played against Brunson five times in his career and seen him average 30.8 PPG across those contests, has gotten enough up-close and personal encounters with the 2023-2024 NBA MVP candidate to deduce just how lethal he is in his proverbial bag.
The Knicks’ franchise player is nimble-fingered at weaving through screens in the pick-and-roll, keeping defenders on his hip, and rising up at his sweet spots from 17 feet out, at the elbows, from deep, or when finishing in the lane.
Brunson will look to give Cunningham and the Pistons the business once more in their next matchup slated for Dec. 7 at Madison Square Garden.