Brunson knows how the Knicks can build from last season.
The New York Knicks wrapped up the regular season at 53-29, locking in the third seed and a first-round date with the Atlanta Hawks starting Saturday at Madison Square Garden.
As the playoffs tip off, captain Jalen Brunson is letting the rest of the league know that whatever has driven this team through the grind is staying in the locker room.
Brunson Keeps It In-House
At practice on Wednesday, Brunson was asked what makes this Knicks team tick, and his answer said a lot about how this group is wired heading into the postseason.
"To be honest, there's a lot of things that go on that you guys don't see. A lot of things we talk about, a lot of things we do that we don't even say publicly. For a reason, because we want to keep everything in-house. We're all we got, no matter what."
Coming from Brunson, that hits a little different.
He's the captain, he sets the tone, and the Knicks have followed his lead since he walked in the door in 2022.
Another Fabulous Season
Brunson is coming off another huge year, averaging 26.0 points, 6.8 assists, and 3.3 rebounds while shooting 46.7 percent from the floor.
He earned his third All-Star nod, will most likely have All-NBA honors again, and was named NBA Cup MVP when the Knicks took home the in-season tournament title.
He missed a handful of games late with an ankle issue, but the Knicks still won 53 under first-year head coach Mike Brown, a step forward from last year's 51-win team.
A rough 2-9 stretch in January could have derailed the year, but the Knicks closed the month on a five-game winning streak with Brunson steady through all of it.
Built for a Playoff Run
Last postseason is why the rest of the league has to take New York seriously again.
Brunson went off for 29.4 points and 7.0 assists per game across 18 playoff contests, hit a series-clinching game-winner against Detroit in round one, and dropped 40-plus multiple times before the Knicks fell to Indiana in the Eastern Conference Finals.
He also joined Michael Jordan, LeBron James, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander as the only players in league history with 10 games of 30 points and five assists in one playoff run.
Now he's back with essentially the same core, a new coach, a Cup trophy already in the building, and a first-round draw that matches up well on paper.
The Hawks have been frisky all year, but the Knicks have the experience and the guy who's been through every version of playoff chaos.
If this team really is all they've got, they've got plenty.