Knicks Star Furious Over Statistical Shortcoming

The best things in life are anything but free for New York Knicks point guard Jalen Brunson.

Few hardwood stars are hotter than Brunson at this point in time, as the Knicks captain is justifying his status as a 2025 All-Star Game starter and then some with brilliant showings heading into the break. This week alone has seen Brunson come through in the clutch en route to victories over the Houston Rockets and Toronto Raptors, helping the Knicks sweep a back-to-back going into a crucial Saturday showdown against the Boston Celtics (8:30 p.m. ET, ABC).

The notoriously hard-to-place Brunson, however, chose to focus on one of the rare blemishes of his box score in the aftermath of Tuesday's triumph in Toronto, lamenting his lack of prowess at the free throw line after a narrow escape against the Raptors.

“I get a little pissed off about it,” Brunson said, per Stefan Bondy of the New York Post. "“It’s stupid and it’s pissing me off talking about it now.”

Nov 23, 2024; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) shoots a free throw against the Utah Jazz during the first half at the Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Creveling-Imagn Images | Christopher Creveling-Imagn Images

Brunson's success rate from the foul line looked decent enough on Tuesday, as he hit 6-of-8 tries. But a deeper look back hints at a lingering issue: since the new calendar year tipped off, Brunson is hitting just over 79 percent of his tries from the foul line and that tally drops to 73.2 percent over the last eight games. It was far from the Knicks' biggest issue, but he was 3-of-7 during Saturday's defeat at the hands of the Los Angeles Lakers.

Between New York and his original NBA days in Dallas, Brunson shoots just over 82 percent from the foul line and is currently just a little bit worse than that output at 81.3. Ever the perfectionist, Brunson vowed to work on it through tiring, old-fashioned, if not effective, means as the Knicks (34-17) prepare for a visit from the defending NBA champions.

“It sucks. The ball’s not going in. No different routine,” Brunson told Bondy. “I just have to be better focused at the free-throw line. It’s pissing me the hell off. I’m not going to lie. I’m going to go in and make a couple hundred this week.”

Beyond the struggles with his singles, the Knicks likely hope Brunson keeps everything else business as usual: Brunson's clutch antics allowed New York to linger among the hottest teams in the NBA, as it has now won seven of its past eight after a tepid start to 2025. Of note, Brunson scored 42 points in Monday's home win over Houston, becoming just the third New Yorker (alongside Patrick Ewing and Bernard King) to post 18 games with at least 40.

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