Jalen Brunson Picking Cavs Apart in Game 2 Signals Huge Step Forward for Entire Knicks Offense

New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) dribbles against Cleveland Cavaliers guard James Harden (1) during the third quarter of game two of the eastern conference finals of the 2026 NBA playoffs at Madison Square Garden. | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Steve Nash was Jalen Brunson's favorite player growing up. Brunson, who wore No. 13 in Dallas as a tribute to Nash, has repeatedly spoken about how he admired Nash's ability to run an offense and be so effective despite his physical limitations.

During his tenure as a Knick, Brunson has become known as one of the deadliest scorers in the league, but he has also received occasional criticism for his passing, or lack thereof. It's worth noting that he's at times been tasked with creating something out of nothing, and being options one, two, and three for the Knicks. But his shortcomings as an elite passer have nonetheless been documented.

Over the years, though, he has improved as a point guard. Both his passing skills and his ability to read the game have continued to grow as the talent around him has improved. While it's difficult to put on a show in the manner that Nash did so often, Brunson showed flashes of his childhood idol in Thursday night's thrilling Game 2 victory over the Cavaliers.

And that completely transforms what the Knicks' offense is capable of.

Brunson picked apart a variety of defenses

From the opening tip, it was clear that the Cavaliers were going to do whatever it took to make life difficult for Brunson. They showed him numerous looks throughout the game, using different defenders and different coverages. They had Dean Wade on him to start the game. They had Dennis Schröder apply a full-court press. They blitzed him near half court. They mixed in some of the soft doubling coverage he saw at the end of Game 1.

And when it was apparent he didn't necessarily have the hot hand, he accepted it. Instead of forcing up shots like he had done in the past, he took what the defense gave him, masterfully picked apart the Cavaliers defense, and put his teammates in great positions to succeed.

After the game, both coaches were asked about it. "That's what great players do, right? They read the game, and the game dictated that" Kenny Atkinson said in his press conference. Meanwhile, Mike Brown spoke about how Brunson made life easier for others, saying, "As an MVP candidate, Jalen Brunson's job is to make the game easier for his teammates. That's what he did."

That led to Brunson, whose biggest moments, and games have involved him scoring, dishing out a playoff career-high 14 assists, and making it look rather effortless. As impressive a statistical feat as it was, the ease and precision with which he did it might have been more impressive. And it was just another reminder of just how much Brunson had grown.

Game 2's 14-assists performance was proof Brunson has taken the offense to another level

Gone are the days when the only way this team could win a playoff game was with Brunson doing everything offensively. He no longer needs to score 35 points and be the sole creator.

Through plenty of trials and tribulations, Brunson and his teammates have learned to be greater than the sum of their parts, and these playoffs are proving exactly that. Of course, as we've seen these playoffs, Brunson is still a 40-point grenade ready to explode at a moment's notice. But when he can't quite find his shot, or deems it unnecessary, he has the awareness and selflessness to take a backseat and let Karl-Anthony Towns, Mikal Bridges, OG Anunoby, and Josh Hart do the scoring.

As Deuce McBride noted after the game, Brunson is willing to make the right play. "He's about winning and we've known that from the jump. He's one of the best scorers in the league but the fact that he's willing to be selfless and give up the ball when guys are double-teaming him proves he just wants to win."

Hart won't hit five three-pointers every game. The rest of the starters won't all be this efficient every game either. But the first two games of the Cavaliers series have shown that the Knicks can beat you with Brunson scoring 38 points, and they can beat you with him scoring 19. And that should be a huge confidence booster for the team, the coaches and the fans.