How Jalen Brunson and the Knicks Became a Major Threat Out East | Richard Jefferson and JJ Redick

How Jalen Brunson and the Knicks Became a Major Threat Out East | Richard Jefferson and JJ Redick

Uh let’s go to arguably uh the hottest team in basketball right now the New York Knicks who stand in third place in the Eastern Conference 14 and two in January um we have got we just got to give Jaylen Brunson some love because look I think Luca and Shay right Luca

And Shay has played as well as any guard not in stretches for this season yeah has there been a better guard than those two besides Jaylen Brunson for the season not for stretches because certainly halberton at the start of the season right we’ve seen Donovan Mitchell go on some some great stretches Booker

Of course lately Jaylen Brunson has been phenomenal all season long like okay yes he has I’m not there there was that SM remember we did uh one of their early games he was struggling from two struggling from Two and they were just same with Randall Randall was really

Struggling from three and they kind of they kind of figured out but that’s just early start of the season to me when you look at Shay it’s like wait Shay was first team all NBA last year I’m not arguing no I’m not aru no I’m I’m breaking down the players that you were

Just I’m saying like sh calm the [ __ ] down I was saying Shay if you look at it he thank you I appreciate the br oh yeah yeah Outlets you Outlets the Tom Ford Outlet no but I’m saying like Shay had a great season but look he added Chad

Homen he was already First Team all NBA so it looks like he’s continuing what he’s been doing and maybe building on I I think now he’s gotten himself into like hey is this dude an MVP candidate like that that’s where he is I think Brunson is now in a space where you’re

Like oh no he is an All-Star is he an all-nba is he going to crack that stuff right now at this point in time I I think he’s an all NBA player if the all NBA ballots were to be given out right now to me I think he he would has a very

Good chance at all NBA what he’s doing late game the Knicks one uh 14 games I think it’s either their first or second most amount of wins that they’ve ever had in a single month that’s that’s a that’s a pretty big that’s a pretty big spot to be in and so

When you look at you know and now you got Randall out and randle’s missed a couple of games and they’ve still continued to win and that to me is the ultimate compliment of a guard uh like him where it’s like hey we’re going to be short-handed we we’re rolling and

They were healthy they you know you talk about the trade with OG and then and their record from the moment he showed up their team was healthy and rolling okay now what do you do when you get a little bit of adversity right now you don’t want adversity for two three

Months but if you can handle adversity for a couple of weeks and and play quality basketball which they have he’s got to up his game he’s got to make sure he’s getting other people to up their games and he’s done an outstanding job of it so far 13- one the Knicks are uh

In January when Brunson played he averaged uh 29 Points 7.7 assists I want to go into some of this stuff how have they turned things around obviously the OG trade uh which I’ll get to in a second so Mitchell Robinson goes out mid December they were last in defensive

Efficiency in December we had their game against the Bulls on January 3rd we asked tibs about that he felt like their defense was in a good place and hartenstein was going to do an out you know a great job you know holding down the fort essentially they go from last

In defensive efficiency in December to First in January number one halfcourt defense number one at defending the rim in the half court uh hartenstein held opponents to 46% shooting on layups and dunks in January 56 players in the NBA contested 75 plus shots only one player

Held opponents under 40% that was OG an anobi where do you find these [ __ ] stats you got to read your stuff man you got to read your stuff so think about this they so defensively they have become Elite in the half court with the addition of OG hartenstein has done an

Outstanding job uh OG had the second best plus minus in January of any player in the NBA at plus 252 you know who was number one Jaylen Brunson that seems obvious uh offensively for them uh they were best per possession in the NBA for the month in transition offense and they

Seem to really Double Down On Empty side pick and roll with Jaylen Brunson their effic efficiency Skyrocket in the month of January from 0.95 prior to that per possession to 1.19 so do you have a question no I have a question in a second I have a question in a second

Hold on I wanna I want to get through what they’re doing well very well Stu right Dean chenzo has shot the [ __ ] out of the ball so all that empty side stuff we’re creating spacing we’re getting uh open spot up threes for D chenzo Josh hard at his first career of triple

Double the other day oddly enough 10 10 and 10 which is actually super go back and watch the film for every single assist and rebound I’m sure he got there in points but there’s some some favoritism there um for this team because there was I believe a little bit

Of what seemed like a a fair statement from from Becky Hammond uh four to six weeks ago seemed like a fair statement about Brunson turned into a really toxic thing we we have to acknowledge that they’re a very good basketball team my question for you is because perk has

Said this he thinks they’re going to be in the Conference Finals at least where do you see this team in the hierarchy of not only the Eastern Conference but the NBA in general oh wow okay um I think oh okay but okay let’s go back to the Becky

Hammond statement because I I I actually support her from to to a certain degree of what she’s saying she was more talking about his size historically speaking we got Stephanie Isaiah in the modern NBA you can throw Chanty in there maybe but it’s the same thing about

About when Charles Barkley said that the the Warriors you can’t win being a jump shooting team but there had never been so over his entire basketball life of watching basketball and look this dude’s a former MVP he’s like this hasn’t been done you got to go prove it and that’s

What they did and I think Brunson and the Knicks are in a gopr it mode uh we’ve talked about like the the the six guys that have led teams to an NBA championship right active players the active players currently yeah there’s more than six but yeah the current

Active players in the league the best player on the best team there six guys currently right now yes that have done that and so you’re you’re to me those currently and I’ll stand by this those are the only one A’s those are the only one A’s because they have proven it

Everybody else is a one B that has to prove and I’ll go with Joel embiid too Joel embiid is I this is this is important I want to clarify this you’re you’re just saying to be a true 1A in your book you have to be able to have

Led your team to a championship CU you’re throwing a lot of guys in there that are one BS then you’re throwing Luka throwing Shay you’re throwing Tatum you’re throwing Joel yeah yeah I’m being and I’m being and I’m being because look we know this the level of respect that

Comes from an MVP and a Finals MVP is very different Joel embiid is actively saying he’s like look I’ve got an MVP I want a finals MVP right not many guys are like I have a Finals MVP I want to go win an MVP it’s like yeah there’s

Steps to this so I say this we are going to find out if Brunson can be a 1A I believe the way he’s playing the way they’re constructing this roster it puts him in a position to be you know that guy on this roster now where do I put

Him in the hierarchy I think they are the the second most stable team in the Eastern Conference I think the Milwaukee Bucks you got a lot of you got a lot of questions right they just fired their coach they got a brand new coach and

Then I go and look at I go and look at um uh the Philadelphia 76 yeah so okay so we’re talking about the top three teams in my opinion let’s say it’s it’s Philly it’s Milwaukee uh Philly Milwaukee Boston and the Knicks let’s say these are the top four I know

Cleveland’s been playing well but we look at these teams and I’m like okay well Philly’s got questions in my say look Joel embiid he’s a little banged up where you know you’re trying to figure it out uh Boston they look pretty strong Boston looks like the class of the

League complete roster construction they have youth they’ve got size they’ve got versatility they’ve got depth they’ve got everything you need but I think Milwaukee’s got questions and I think Philly’s got questions in my opinion so because Philly’s never been to the Conference Finals so to say that they

Can go through an entire playoff run so when I look at the Knicks can they make it to the Conference Finals yeah this is actually a season where it’s tailored for them it looks like the Bucks are in a bit of disr looks like Philly still

Has a a a little bit of a hump to get over so I I think as a conference finalist yes now if we start saying NBA championship understand that there’s multiple layers it’s like just getting to the Conference Finals is [ __ ] hard winning that series and then going in

Winning another series I think that there are still and I don’t necessarily think it’s a superstar I think that they can construct a uh 04 Pistons type roster right where you have so many talented players in your top five right where they had rash and the pieces fit

And the pieces fit everyone’s Elite and they had depth right so you don’t need Superstars right chony BBS won finals MVP Rasheed Wallace Ben Wallace like all of these guys were all stars Denver last year I’ll say that like Denver last year they have a superstar Jamal Murray we

Know is a Bonafide star in the NBA and even better he plays like a superstar in the playoffs heut he plays he plays like a superstar in the playoffs his finals last year of course you know one of I think four guys in NBA history to

Average 25 and 10 assists for an NBA Finals don’t disagree with anything you just said I no I don’t I don’t I I think you’re point about the onea is fair I I think I don’t want to get caught up in the ring culture defining who is a 1A

And a 1B player so I I would I would add playoff success and your ability to elevate your team to a conference semi-final certainly but definitely even a Conference Finals a finals appearance to me you’re a 1A that so so so so the the Lucas and the tatums like that group

Sha Shay Joel whatever like they’re one A’s to me they’re they’re they’re true onea but it’s semantics it’s semantics real quick uh New York Knicks right now Championship odds plus 3500 on draftking Sportsbook conference they actually have the fifth lowest and I at plus 1400 uh I think they’re better than that

And I I I have them in sort of that tier after the Boston Celtics where I do believe they can make the Conference Finals really quickly this this current when when healthy you know this is the best Knicks team since the 99 I think finals team that they had like to me

Over my entire year years of watching the Knicks since I’ve been in the league this is the best team when I talk about coaching when I talk about star star star players when you all NBA versa the way they play the way their pieces fit this is the best Nick team that we

Have seen in in 20 years yeah and and the thing I like the thing I really like about them right now is the identity they’re building on the defensive end and the trade I think was the impetus to to start that where they get OG uh he to

Me he fit this is not a knock on RJ he fits better RJ you know for for playing with Brunson and Randall I think it’s hard to then be another guy that needs the ball in his hands quickly the same way right you you certainly saw him as a

Starter play well but then it’s like all right now we’re under siiz with quickley and Brunson in the back court there’s questions there in the playoffs right so I think this roster has has Mo a more uh like a more coherent fit pieces fit and

I I really do like this team RJ uh thanks for stopping by Buddy for the draftking sports book intro this I love you the NBA season is in full swing download the draftking Sportsbook app with code JJ new customers can bet us five bucks on the NBA and get 200

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In this clip, JJ Redick and Richard Jefferson talk about the amazing recent play of Jalen Brunson and the New York Knicks.

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