NEW YORK — The New York Knicks managed to quiet some early noise by picking up a 103-90 victory over the Brooklyn Nets, but watching the half-court offense grind through possessions is keeping fans on life support. While sitting around .500 in the young season is hardly reason to hit the panic button, Jalen Brunson slow start is still on everyone’s mind across the Big Apple. The franchise cornerstone is still searching for his signature touch around the paint, leaving head coach Mike Brown to figure out if the clunky spacing at the moment is affecting his superstar perhaps.
Jalen Brunson slow start numbers show unusual drop in intermediate shooting zones
Looking closely at the tracking data, the underlying chemistry between Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns is definitely not to blame. Brunson is feeding Towns and vice versa, keeping that exact same two-man engine humming right along just like last season.
The plot twist is happening in the mid-range zones, around the paint. Shot distribution shows a glaring drop in efficiency, mostly because opposing defenses are aggressively sagging off the wings at the corner, putting extra hands inside the 15-foot mark. To keep his scoring average from completely cratering while his jumper is on vacation, Brunson is relying heavily on his superstar whistle, hesi-inh his way to a hefty 8.0 free-throw attempts per game just to survive the early-season slump.
How rotation slumps leave Brunson trapped in the paint
The spacing problem isn’t on one guy, but rather a collective slump across the supporting cast. Mikal Bridges is currently clanging away at a dismal 26.9 percent from deep, while OG Anunoby is hovering around a modest 30 percent, practically giving opposing defenders written permission to abandon the corners and choke out Brunson’s driving seams. Outside of Josh Hart hitting nearly two triples a night near his career standard, the floor is completely shrunk.
Maybe the captain’s early rust is just the price of a jet-setting offseason that featured everything from endless brand tours to hosting Saturday Night Live. Admitting his touch isn’t quite locked in, Brunson candidly reflected on his early struggles, noting that while his rhythm has been off to start games, the squad is still finding ways to grind out tough wins.
Recognizing the traffic jam, Mike Brown closed out the Brooklyn win by riding Landry Shamet down the stretch. Shamet provided a lethal scoring punch off the bench, exploding for 22 points on 6-of-8 shooting, including 4-of-6 from downtown. His shooting threat acted like instant drain cleaner for the offense, stretching Brooklyn’s defense to the likit and giving Brunson the clean room he needed to close out the night. Until the rest of the starting five starts hitting open jumpers, expect defenses to keep shading off them into the paint and forcing New York to lean heavily on throwing prayers at the rim in tight, closing stretches.
It’s worth noting that Brunson underwent surgery on his left wrist on July 7, 2026, at Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) to repair a soft-tissue tendon issue that was flipping and snapping over the bone.Injury & Surgery Details. He played through the nagging wrist injury during the New York Knicks’ 2026 championship run, averaging 32.6 points in the NBA Finals and winning Finals MVP. He has downplayed any link between his surgery and his slow start.
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