How Knicks' Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns evolved into a dynamic duo 27%
By Kristian Winfield0%
4/10/2026, 3:57:23 AM
Topics: New York Knicks
BS Summary: This article contains 28 faulty reasoning types, including Halo Effect, Recency Bias, and Optimism Bias, with Post Hoc (False Cause) as the most egregious example at 31.4% saturation with 341 hits. Analysis detected 2,261 faulty-reasoning hits from 1,087 analyzed words, generating a BS Score of 38.2% and a BS Rank of 27% (12,353 of 16,813 articles). This article is better (less manipulative) than 73.50% of the article peer group.
Jalen Brunson knows any variation of offensive plays featuring both him and All-Star teammate Karl-Anthony Towns can be difficult, nearly impossible for opposing defenses to guard.
He doesn’t, however, know why the Knicks took so long to button-mash the actions that could propel them deeper into the playoffs, possibly to the franchise’s first NBA Finals appearance in a quarter-century.
“No,” Brunson said, when asked if he knew why it took so long to start running those plays.
“It’s a very effective play.”
Better late than never.
And maybe it’s right on time.
Because the Knicks’ All-Star duo is rolling right into the playoff picture.
The Knicks defeated the Boston Celtics, 112-106, in a second-round playoff preview on Thursday.
Brunson finished with 25 points and 10 assists.
Towns added 16 points, 12 rebounds and four dimes on the night.
Yet, in between the lines stitching together the box score, the Knicks’ one-two punch has been growing closer, through the adversity that has been the 2025-26 NBA season.
They lost in the Eastern Conference Finals in Year 1 of the Towns era.
They won the NBA Cup, lost nine out of 11 games to start the year, then survived a hectic NBA Trade Deadline with Giannis Antetokounmpo’s New York demand hanging in the backdrop.
Now, they appear to have bound together for another rodeo, this time to finish business they left on the table last season.
“I just think we’ve had [conversations] in the days, and those convos are showing up in the game, especially in the last two fourth quarters,” Towns said after the game.
“In high-pressure situations, we’ve leaned on each other and trusted each other in those situations — and it’s been very good for our team.”
Perhaps there’s been a misconception, a misunderstanding from the outside looking in: The Knicks All-Stars have a strong relationship.
“Me and JB, we’ve always been good.
We’ve always been good,” Towns said at his locker on Thursday.
“The ability for us to have open and honest communication and conversations has been great for us since Day 1.”
Towns reiterated on Thursday his main goal is to help elevate and expand Brunson’s game as a two-time All-Star starter in New York.
“I think what’s great about our relationship is that we both know that we’re here to help each other, and all I want to do is maximize his ability in what he can do in this league,” Towns continued.
“And for him to know he can trust that I’m here to help this whole team win and help him be the best version of himself and he knows that.
And he trusts that.”
Brunson said the two have been finding a rhythm on the court.
Just a day earlier, after practice in Tarrytown on Thursday, Mikal Bridges said it could take a season or longer for two star players to get on the same page.
How about 162 games — with just two left before the win-loss column reverts back to 0-0 for the playoffs.
“[I’m] just trying to make the defense make decisions and just playing off of that,” said Brunson.
“I think the longer we’ve been together the better our chemistry has been.”
Much of it has been due to Brunson’s increased willingness to move the ball, and move the ball in Towns’ direction.
The Knicks’ captain averaged a career-high 8.9 assists per game in the month of March.
He has had 10 or more assists in five of his last six games.
“Yeah, [that’s] him just trusting us,” Brunson’s close friend and teammate Josh Hart said after scoring 26 points against the Celtics on Thursday.
“I think that’s something that he’s comfortable with, something that we love when he does that.
Get off the ball early, trusting us to make plays.
I just think it’s that: He’s trusting us.”
That’s the big “T” word at The Garden, where the Knicks need all five of their starters — plus the other four in Brown’s dedicated rotation — on a string, beginning with their two cornerstones.
“[He’s] just trusting us, and trusting that we can make the job easier on him,” said Towns.
“He’s done a great job of utilizing us, and we’ve done a great job of making the most of those opportunities.
Shoutout to Jalen for just finding us.”
The fit is the most intriguing piece of the puzzle.
Because Towns and Brunson complement each other in ways Mike Brown outlined after the victory on Thursday.
Brunson, a superior scoring guard, can create separation from his defender even in possessions he doesn’t have the ball in his hands.
Towns is a gifted 3-point shooter, but he’s also a more-than-capable passer.
Brown admitted he’s implementing more Brunson-Towns actions after Thursday’s victory.
“We’re running it a little bit more than what we had before, and guys are just getting a rhythm — and they’re getting a rhythm at the right time,” he said.
“When we have a passer like KAT who can hand it off or pass it late to you, it makes that duo really effective because of those two guys and the characteristics they have as players.”
Hart agreed.
He’s seen the ebbs and flows of the relationship, the frustrations from both parties that have been apparent on the court this season.
“I think the last week or two we’ve done [Towns and Brunson actions] more and had great results with it, whether it’s JB getting his shot, KAT getting a shot, or them converging,” Hart said.
“They’re both good passers able to find the open man.
That’s something we love it’s clicking this late into the season and bring that momentum of that into the playoffs.”
Maybe Brown kept the pick-and-rolls, the dribble hand-offs, the give-and-go actions tucked as a form of gamesmanship so as to not tip his hand entering the playoffs.
Maybe he wanted opponents to believe the Knicks abandoned the tactic altogether.
Or maybe this was a slow roll, meant to culminate with the two All-Stars crescendoing into the playoff push.
Whatever the reason, the Knicks and their fans will take it.
Because for the first time in what feels like a lifetime, Brunson and Towns are Brunson-and-Towns.
And the Brunson-and-Towns actions have been lethal to close the Knicks’ season.
“The rhythm that those two guys have established these last few games is something they’re gonna have to take into the playoffs,” said Brown, “because it’s a really good combination obviously.”
Analysis
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