In an NBA regular season game that ended this morning, the Knicks defeated Eastern Conference leaders Celtics 118-108 on the road, making it three straight wins and two straight losses. After this game, their record improved to 48-32, which ranks third in the league, and is only one win behind the Bucks.
In this game, Knicks star Brunson played bravely, he played 15 of 23 shots, 6 of 11 three-pointers, and 3 of 5 free throws in 30 minutes of playing time, scoring 39 points in only three quarters, helping the team once widen the gap to as many as 31 points. Throughout the game, Brunson's overall shooting rate was as high as 65.2%, the three-point shooting rate was 54.5%, and the true shooting rate reached 78.3%, and the data showed that when he was on the floor, the Knicks outscored their opponents by as many as 28 points. Such a good performance can be called dominant.
Counting this game, Brunson appeared in 76 games this season, averaging an astonishing 28.4 points, 3.5 rebounds and 6.6 assists per game, shooting 48.2% from the field, 40.4% from three-point range, and averaging 2.8 three-pointers per game.
Especially in the past five games, Randle, another core of the Knicks, was absent, and Brunson perfectly supported the team's offense, scoring more than 35 points in all five games, including more than 40 points in two games, averaging 39.4 points per game, including 43 points and 8 assists against the Bucks, who were second in the East.
This performance made his teammate Anunoby can't help but praise: "Brunson, that guy should be the MVP." ”
TNT pundit Kenny Smith also spoke highly of Brunson's performance, arguing that the Knicks were the most surprising team of the season, while Brunson was by far the best player in the East. Brunson's RAT (a high-level statistic, similar to PER) at 30.95 ranks second in the league behind Jokic, and his EPM (a high-level statistic that reflects a player's combined offensive and defensive impact) ranks in the top 10 in the league.
It is worth mentioning that such a high yield and efficiency, but Brunson's salary is not high. This season, he ranks 53rd in the league with an annual salary of $26.34 million, which is undoubtedly a great value for money compared to his performance.
Brunson's current contract is a four-year, $104 million contract with the Knicks in the summer of 2022, and while he is not eligible for a salary extension, he has the option to jump out of his contract and become a full free agent in 2025, at which point he will have the opportunity to pursue a five-year, $250 million contract with a total salary cap.