LeBron James notes Jalen Brunson 'sprinkle' behind Knicks' dominant playoff run

Andrew GambleSun, May 24, 2026 at 12:59 AM UTC

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LeBron James teamed up with Jalen Brunson during the 2026 All-Star Games -Credit:Getty Images (Getty Images)

LeBron James masterfully dissected how the New York Knicks’ decision to switch up how Jalen Brunson is utilized has helped the franchise storm to within touching distance of the NBA Finals.

The Knicks have won the first two games of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Cleveland Cavaliers, ensuring Mike Brown’s team enter Game 3 with a comfortable series lead. Brunson starred in Game 1, scoring 38 points as New York erased a 22-point deficit in the final eight minutes to force overtime.

In Game 2, Josh Hart took over and put up 26 points while Brunson turned provider, dishing 14 assists. With his Los Angeles Lakers out of the playoffs, James has been tuning in - and ahead of Game 3, he highlighted how the Knicks offense has evolved during the postseason.

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The four-time NBA champion pointed out that the makeup of the offensive playbook has been altered, with Karl-Anthony Towns serving as a facilitator to free up Brunson to find shots off the ball against the Cavs. The move shifted the focus away from letting the guard simply iso and pick-and-roll off Towns.

“You now shift your pie chart from people just thinking heavy, heavy, heavy, JB pick-and-roll, JB iso, to now the demographic of your offense shifts,” James said on his “Mind the Game” podcast, which he co-hosts with two-time MVP Steve Nash. “Which means the defense can’t just be keyed in on one action now.

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“So having KAT as the hub, at the elbow, at the top of the key, it allows JB to be off the ball, where he can set a rip screen for OG [Anunoby] to get to the rim where if [the defense] messes that up, OG gets a dunk. If they mess that up and both of them go with OG to the rim, now you have JB coming off it clean, either for a clean shot or a [dribble handoff].

“Now the defense is playing catch up. That’s helped their demographic out a lot, their pie chart on what they can do offensively.”

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Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns shift roles depending on the state of the game and the opposing defense -Credit:Getty Images

The four-time MVP added: “And JB is still gonna have his iso game where he’s really good, he’s still gonna have his pick-and-roll game where he’s really good. But to sprinkle in a little bit of off-ball action, a little bit of pinch-post action, with a different hub, that helps a lot.”

Since trailing the Atlanta Hawks 2-1 in the first round, the Knicks underwent the offensive shift and became significantly more unpredictable. This has helped the franchise win nine straight games, with Brunson excelling in Brown's offense.

Brown again switched up his offensive flavor as using Towns as the facilitator proved to be less effective against the Cavaliers' big duo of Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen. For the fourth quarter of Game 1, which was when the Knicks stormed back, Brown reverted back to running the offense primarily through Brunson.

It worked to great effect. Then, in Game 2, the Cavaliers aggressively double-teamed Brunson - so he became the facilitator, and posted his career high in assists for a postseason game.

James is impressed with Brown's offense, which he knows well having played five seasons under the head coach during his first stint with the Cavaliers.

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Source: “AOL Sports”