Jalen Brunson Is Reminding Everyone Just How Good He Is Without the Ball

The Knicks' star guard knows how to make an impact, regardless of where the ball is in the offense's hands.

Jalen Brunson's off-ball talents were on full display in the Knicks' opening-round series vs. the Hawks. | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

The NBA's best offensive players are all obviously amazing with the ball in their hands. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Nikola Jokic, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Luka Doncic, Jayson Tatum, LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Anthony Edwards, James Harden, the list goes on. Whether it's in isolation or in the pick-and-roll, all of these guys can create something out of nothing. It's one of the requisite traits that sets the elites apart from the rest.

But one skill not everybody possesses is the ability to be a threat and be effective playing off the ball.

Jalen Brunson may not get the respect he deserves as an off-ball player, but the Knicks' star guard has established himself as one of the league's better ones. While he clearly prefers to be the focal point of the offense and run the attack through him as the primary ball handler, he can be effective in other roles. We saw him do it in Dallas when playing alongside the aforementioned Doncic. We saw him do it playing next to former Knick, Julius Randle. And now, we saw him do it with Karl-Anthony Towns in the opening-round series against the Hawks.

Jalen Brunson's off-ball skills set Knicks up for a promising playoff run

The good news for Knicks fans is that if Hawks series was an indication of things to come, Brunson could be solidifying himself as being the elite off-ball threat again.

Knicks fans have every right to be excited about what will come next for Jalen Brunson. | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

So far in the playoffs, he ranks 13th in the effective field goal percentage on catch-and-shoot attempts among 96 players who average two or more attempts per game. The encouraging thing is, we're seeing more of it. Fans saw a lot more of him, allowing the offense to flow through Towns, especially in the much-talked-about flex action that they ran. That's allowed multiple things to happen for a now flourishing Knicks offense.

During the regular season, Brunson ranked 28th in the league in points per possession (PPP) on plays where he spotted up among the 154 players who averaged more than three such plays per game. He also ranked 12th in the league in PPP on handoff plays among the 59 players that averaged one or more such possessions per game. Brunson was also 12th in the league in 2024 in effective field goal percentage on catch-and-shoot shots among the 206 players averaging more than 2.4 attempts per game.

Jalen Brunson's ability to impact Knicks' offense even without the ball has been undervalued

Brunson can now be used partly as a decoy as teams try to contain him when he cuts or pops out. That's led to a handful of easy opportunities for OG Anunoby, Mikal Bridges and Josh Hart.

When those cutters can't free themselves, Brunson can curl back and initiate a dribble handoff (DHO) with Towns. The big man can then read the defense and either screen for Brunson on the DHO, or fake the handoff, and take it to the rim himself. Another trickle-down effect of this is that Brunson can now be a bit fresher for the fourth quarter when the team may actually need him to be on the ball, isolate, and create more.

Best actions from last night

- A new play
- Lots of Brunson off the ball
- OG becoming a real weapon with his inside and out game pic.twitter.com/qDhg8GMy58

— Shax (@ShaxNBA) May 1, 2026

In an era where basketball highlights and online discussions are so often centered around isolation scoring, it's been refreshing to be reminded just how good Brunson is even when he doesn't have the ball. He and the Knicks may not go to it as often as they could, and arguably, should. But the point guard has shown once again that he has the skill, the basketball IQ and the willingness to not only play off the ball, but be effective at it.

With good defensive teams like the Celtics, Raptors, Pistons, Magic, Spurs, and Thunder still lurking as potential opponents during what will hopefully be a long playoff run, Brunson's unique and versatile ability to be a threat with and without the ball will likely play a pivotal role in deciding just how far the Knicks' offense can take them.