Jalen Brunson sets career high for assists in a season

The 2023–24 NBA season has been quite the breakout year for Knicks point guard Jalen Brunson. The first-time All-Star has played great basketball and has his team in a position for a top-four seed in the Eastern Conference, despite all the injuries.

Against the Detroit Pistons on Monday night, Brunson dished out six assists in the 124-99 victory. This puts his season total at 429. Last season, JB had 421 assists in 68 games. He got his 422nd assist on Saturday against the Brooklyn Nets. The Knicks guard set his career best in three fewer games and approximately 125 fewer minutes.

New York has needed Brunson’s playmaking as they sit at the bottom of the NBA in assists per game. In March, Josh Hart leads the team with 5.8 assists and 10.8 potential assists. Brunson is second with 5.5 assists and 9.6 potential assists.

For the season, the Knicks point guard leads the team with 6.5 assists and 11.7 potential assists. Last season, Brunson’s assist and potential assist numbers were similar. He has gone up 0.5 in assist points created. That may not sound like much, but in the 2022–23 season, he created 1,121 assist points in 68 games. Through 66 games this season, Brunson has created 1,119 points off of assists. JB has still played 65 fewer minutes than last season, so with three more points created off his passes, he will set a career-high. His assist-to-pass percentage has improved from 10.5 last season to 11.5 this season.

The former Villanova Wildcat has seen his assist percentage rise from 28.7 last season to 32.4 this season. His usage has gone up from 27.2 to 31.5. The most impressive part is that despite the heavy burden he’s had to carry this season, Brunson’s turnover percentage has remained the same. He sets the tone for the offense and is one of only 17 players averaging 6.5 or more assists this season. When the Knicks had Julius Randle and OG Anunoby on the court with Brunson in January, he raised his assists to 7.7 per game with 12.9 potential.

Other milestones to watch:

• Four rebounds away from setting a career-high in rebounds.
• Three blocks from a personal best in blocks.
• Six steals from a career-best in steals.

Earlier this season, Jalen Brunson had a career-high 14 assists in a victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves:

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