"Getting hammered time after time": Tom Thibodeau unleashes fury over Jalen Brunson's rough night, demands fairer whistle
Jalen Brunson struggled in the New York Knicks’ 117-108 loss to the Orlando Magic on Friday. The shifty guard had 20 points on 4-of-15 shooting. Brunson missed all four 3-point attempts but was a perfect 12-of-12 from the free-throw line.
Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau, in the postgame conference, commented that he didn’t like the way his team played in the second quarter. Orlando decisively won the period 29-15. It was all the cushion the Magic needed to hand the Knicks their third loss in the last four games.
When asked about Brunson’s free throw attempts, the gruff coach didn’t hold back (via New York Basketball):
"What this guy's going through is ridiculous. Ridiculous. He's getting hammered time after time, and I'm just getting sick & tired of it. I watch it, I send it in. … They're fouls. Plain & simple. They're fouls. … Sick & tired of it.”
Jalen Brunsons’ 12 free throw attempts were the second-most this season. He had 16 against the Utah Jazz on Dec. 13 and made 11 of them. 12-of-12 is the most he has attempted without a miss.
Brunson is averaging just 5.6 trips to the charity line per game, a number that is 28th in the NBA. Joel Embiid (11.5), Giannis Antetokounmpo (11.4) and Luka Doncic (8.5) are the top-3 players in this category.
Tom Thibodeau claims that nobody drives to the paint as often as Brunson. At the very least, the coach is convinced his point guard’s FTA average should be closer to the top of the leaderboard.
Orlando Magic disrupted New York Knicks’ offensive flow by forcing Jalen Brunson to give up the ball
Julius Randle is the New York Knicks’ All-Star forward. When he is on, he is a tough cover due to his ability to play bully ball and hit outside shots. Randle got it going on Friday but Orlando decided he’d rather have the ball than Jalen Brunson.
Orlando forced Brunson to repeatedly give up the ball. As a result, several of New York’s shots were forced and came late in the shot clock. The Magic were able to capitalize on the Knicks’ turnovers, scoring 19 off of them.
Completely prohibiting Jalen Brunson from getting the ball was next to impossible. The Magic countered by forcing him to take tough shots or just fouling him. They were conceding him the free throws as the last resort at the expense of flow in New York’s offense.
Jalen Brunson got his free throws tonight but the Orlando Magic walked away with the win.