Jalen Brunson has emerged as one of the best scorers in the NBA this season. Brian Windhorst believes Brunson’s offensive pace has been helped by his ability to get free throws, comparing Brunson’s style of drawing fouls to Trae Young and James Harden.
“He doesn’t have the reputation of Harden or Trae Young, but he’s a foul hunter. He uses the dark arts. I’m not taking a side, there have been times this year when Brunson got an unfair whistle. But this is what the referees are cracking down on, the fouls that he gets sometimes are not what they’re going to give him. The Knicks, as impressive as they’ve been, they’re in a spot where at the end of the game, they need these calls.”
“He doesn’t have the reputation of Harden or Trae Young, but he’s a foul hunter….he uses the dark arts. This is what the referees are cracking down on, the fouls that he gets sometimes are not what they’re going to give him.”
–@WindhorstESPN on Brunson pic.twitter.com/vClWLVVO7e
— KnicksNation (@KnicksNation) April 1, 2024
This is an interesting observation, as Brunson doesn’t rank at the top of the list of players taking free throw attempts. Let’s find out where Brunson is on this list of NBA players who get the most free throws (minimum 50 games played).
1. Giannis Antetotokounmpo – 11.0 FTA
2. Luka Doncic – 8.9 FTA
3. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander – 8.6 FTA
4. Jimmy Butler – 7.8 FTA
5. Trae Young – 7.8 FTA
6. DeMar DeRozan – 7.8 FTA
7. Zion Williamson – 7.1 FTA
8. Damian Lillard – 6.8 FTA
9. Paolo Banchero – 6.8 FTA
10. Jayson Tatum – 6.7 FTA
11. Anthony Davis – 6.7 FTA
12. Devin Booker – 6.6 FTA
13. Anthony Edwards – 6.3 FTA
14. Jaren Jackson Jr. – 6.3 FTA
15. Jalen Brunson – 6.1 FTA
Brunson’s low placement on the list shows that if he is foul-baiting, it isn’t nearly affecting games in the same way that players like Harden and Young have in recent seasons. Brunson wouldn’t even be the Knick averaging the most free throws a game if Julius Randle hadn’t been hurt for most of the season, but he’s averaging more free throws per game (6.6 FTA) than Brunson.
It seems Windhorst is trying to indicate a trend where Jalen is trying to get more shots, but it’s hard to say if any statistical data would support Windhorst’s assertions. He’s averaging just 5.05 FTA per game over the last 15 contests he played in, lower than his season average.
Jalen Brunson Is Receiving Superstar Calls
Brunson’s free throw attempts may not be among the very best in the NBA, but he does shoot a lot of free throws for a 6’1″ guard. Brunson ranks ahead of LeBron James on this list, which does indicate there’s a high frequency of calls for him.
Opposing players have remarked about the same, with Gary Payton II recently saying that you can’t guard Brunson because of how fouls are called.
“You know the league, can’t touch anybody. He’s pretty shifty, so if he gets you leaning one way and then going, you probably gonna commit fully the other way and then it’s up to him if he wants to stop, pump fake, do what he wants and all you need is a little contact and they gonna call it.”
Brunson’s whistle has become better for him over this season. He’s averaging 27.9 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 6.5 assists over the year, sitting top-five in both total points and scoring average in the NBA.
He’s nearly solidified an All-NBA selection, which is a further testament to his growing profile in the NBA.
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