Knicks Preview: Can Brunson lead the team out of the East?

The New York Knicks had a successful season last year. They entered the playoffs with a record of 51 wins and 31 losses in the regular season, and finally fell on the stage of the Eastern Conference Finals. Not long after the game ended, they took the lead in firing head coach Tom Thibodeau, and inquired with many coaches to no avail. Among them, they went after Kidd, which caused constant laughter from the outside world, and finally found Mike Brown. At the same time, recruitment has strengthened the team's weak substitute lineup. Changing the system is difficult for the team's dual-core Brunson and Towns to adapt. Through the preseason games, it can be seen that they are not playing like themselves at all, but fortunately they are willing to make changes.

How does a player perform in his new role? Will they exceed expectations under a new coach? Can they progress and make the leap we all want? These are interesting questions, and it's these questions that spark that passion in each of us as fans that make us wonder things we can't possibly know with complete certainty until the regular season begins. However, with Brunson, we can expect that because of his performance over the past few years for all to see.

His performance was great and we need to give him higher praise, which is reserved for the best players in the league. Let’s say you look back over the past few years. In this case, only the likes of LeBron James, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Stephen Curry, Nikola Jokic, Luka Doncic, Kevin Durant and Jayson Tatum have reached such a consistent level that predicting their seasons becomes almost mundane.

Of course, last year, we all wondered what impact the addition of Karl-Anthony Towns would have on Brunson. And in previous years, we thought about how being that guy for another year would affect his game. But since Brunson's first year with the Knicks, we, not just Knicks fans but the entire basketball community, have come to expect great things from him and won't hold anything back from him.

There's been a lot of discussion about what kind of numbers he'll put up, and the minor improvements he can still make. Will his production dip slightly with Mike Brown's emphasis on moving the ball? As he plays off the ball more and utilizes the elite catch-and-shoot skills he displayed while playing next to Julius Randle, will his 3-point shooting take a bit of a dip? Can he maintain the efficiency he showed late in last year's game? But those issues more or less end there.

However, if I were to try to solve these problems, my answer would be "yes". I do think his numbers may dip slightly because Brown is trying to move the ball quickly and have players running fast to create an advantage. This will most likely result in a reduction in scoring, although efficiency may increase.

I also think that if Mike Brown can utilize Towns' passing ability more than Tom Thibodeau, Brunson may have more open catch-and-shoot opportunities, which he has rarely seen since Randle was injured against the Heat. Although Brunson's performance numbers may decline in critical moments, his mentality and confidence in such situations will not easily disappear.

Ultimately, as long as he stays healthy, he will definitely be an All-Star. He's going to be an All-NBA point guard, he's going to be an MVP candidate, he's going to be one of the best players in the league leading one of the best teams in the league. He's expected to have another season averaging at least 25 points and 6 assists per game, and he'll maintain a 40/50/80 line, making him one of the most consistent and reliable players in the entire league.