The Brunson & Towns Chemistry Dilemma

Prognostications are a tricky thing. The way something looks in theory and the way it's executed in practice can often be two very different things. Such is the case with the Knicks this season, and more specifically, with center Karl-Anthony Towns.

It seemed this year, everything was set to come together for Towns and the Knicks. The East had a power vacuum at the top, and the Knicks retained a core of players that went to the Eastern Conference Finals the year prior. But as it did last regular season, something has felt off. In particular, the chemistry between franchise cornerstone Jalen Brunson and Towns feels missing. It brings into question their synergy and what sort of player is needed to thrive with Brunson.

The logic behind the Karl-Anthony Towns acquisition was two-fold. The Knicks felt they needed a more reliable second scoring option to pair with Brunson, and they also did not seem keen to re-sign Julius Randle to an extension. The trade for Towns, therefore, was an upgrade of an existing asset—although most would admit that sacrificing Donte DiVincenzo in the deal still stings.

The idea of the Towns and Brunson pairing is intoxicating. Brunson runs 9.2 pick-and-rolls per game, which is the fourth highest in the NBA. The pairing with Towns suggests that defenses should be placed in an impossible predicament. The possible outcomes should be either an open Brunson jump shot, an open Towns three-pointer, or a Towns drive.

The issue is that while 36.8% of Brunson's possessions are with him as a pick-and-roll ballhandler, only 14.9% of Towns' offensive possessions feature him as the roll man. Quite often, what happens is that Towns is detached from the action, resulting in long stretches of inactivity for him offensively. With the emphasis on ball movement and player activity in Mike Brown's offense, this development is increasingly troubling.

As is the case with many superstar scoring pairings, there is a bit of a "your turn, my turn" dynamic with Towns and Brunson. Because so much of Brunson’s ascendency has involved playing in isolation, some of those habits have been hard to break for Brown and the Knicks coaching staff.

It is impossible to ignore how passive Towns has been on offense as a Knick. His shot volume has remained similar in New York when compared to his last three seasons in Minnesota. In those three seasons, Towns attempted 15.7 field goals per game compared to the 16.0 he's averaged as a Knick. But his three-point shooting volume has decreased, with his lowest number of attempts since 2018-19.

The Knicks’ revival in the Brunson era has been heavily influenced by the idea that offensive rebounding is crucial to their success offensively. They want to maximize the number of possessions they have, allowing them to score more points and limit possessions for their opponents. With Brunson and Towns on the floor together this season, the team scores 124.8 points per 100 possessions with a 28.6% offensive rebounding rate. With Towns off the floor but Brunson on, the points per 100 possessions increase to 126.2, and the offensive rebounding rate increases to 35.1%(data via Cleaning the Glass).

When Towns is on the floor with Brunson, attempts at the rim also increase from 24.6% to 30.7%. On paper, this is a strong development—attacking the rim is generally considered a good shot attempt. The issue with this is that Towns is one of the worst rim finishers in the NBA, with a 60% accuracy at the rim, putting him in the 19th percentile in the NBA.

There is perhaps no bigger indictment of the Towns-Brunson dynamic than shot distribution for the Knicks in clutch situations. Unsurprisingly, Brunson leads the team in shot attempts per game in the clutch with 2.1. Towns ranks sixth on the team with only 0.7 attempts, which is lower than Tyler Kolek. Compare that with a team like Houston, whose clutch distribution is much more even among its core of Alperen Sengun (3.1 FGA), Jabari Smith Jr (2.1 FGA), Kevin Durant (2.1 FGA), and Amen Thompson (1.8 FGA).

The lack of involvement of Towns in large portions of games has been frustrating this season, to say the least. Towns himself has admitted how difficult an adjustment it has been for him to acclimate to Mike Brown's system and what it asks of big men. His lack of involvement could then be seen as a detachment from Towns, a distinction between him and Brunson that becomes more pronounced the more this team struggles.

When the Knicks are at their best historically, it is with a team that embodies a rough-around-the-edges vibe that mirrors the city they play in. The 90s Knicks were beloved because of their toughness, and players like John Starks, Charles Oakley, and Anthony Mason embodied that ethos on and off the court.

The Knicks in the Brunson era have followed a similar blueprint. Mitchell Robinson, Miles McBride, Isiah Hartenstein, Josh Hart, and Donte DiVincenzo have embodied that credo throughout this run. They play with an intensity and a ferocity indicative of the doubt that they faced.

All of the aforementioned players were doubted in some way, whether slipping in the draft or being discarded by multiple teams. It's fair to say that Karl-Anthony Towns' path has been different than that. He was a top-five recruit coming out of high school, played at powerhouse Kentucky for one season, and was the number one pick in the 2015 NBA Draft, instantly becoming the face of a franchise.

There was never a need for Towns to truly prove himself in that way. The same cannot be said of Jalen Brunson. While also being a five-star recruit in his own right, Brunson was never seen as a can't-miss pro prospect, which is indicative of where he was drafted by the Mavericks. He escaped the shadow of Luka Doncic, was doubted when the Knicks signed him in free agency, and has defied any limited expectation placed upon him. More than anything, Jalen Brunson knows what it takes to get where he is and takes nothing for granted.

We see this in the way that Towns often falls and doesn’t get back on defense immediately. We see it in games when he is incredibly passive, taking 10 or fewer shots (which has happened in 13% of the Knicks games this year). His penchant for fouling and being called for offensive fouls further indicates a lack of discipline that simply does not align with Brunson’s approach.

It's fair to wonder, then, if there is a disconnect between Brunson and Towns. Is there a fundamental mentality difference that truly prevents them from gelling in the same way that Brunson has with his former college teammate Josh Hart, for example? If it is severe, then we have to wonder what sort of player Jalen Brunson needs to finally break through.

The dark cloud that lingers over this team in this moment currently resides in Milwaukee. The suggestion and rumors of Giannis Antetokounmpo wanting to play for the Knicks and the Knicks attempting to trade for him resurface whenever this team has a rough patch. And as Karl-Anthony Towns continues to shrink from moments and confound fans, those desires will become louder.

There is a lot of thought and discussion about the best fit with Jalen Brunson. And much of that discussion has centered around skillset. This hypothetical player needs to be a good defender while also being an offensive threat. But it seems we are missing a crucial component in the discussion: a match in mentality.

For all of his media gaffes and poor handling of his situation with the Bucks, one thing has always been clear about Giannis: he wants to win more than anything, and his play shows it. Perhaps more than skill fit, desire is what truly matters in terms of fit with Brunson.

Julius Randle was a very flawed player. But there was a general feeling of toughness and desire despite his shortcomings. The Knicks may need to consider that for the remainder of the Brunson era; they need to pair him with someone who approaches being a Knick and winning with the same intensity as the Captain. It may not happen this trade season, and it may not be Giannis, but without it, this team certainly feels limited as currently constructed without that sort of alignment.