Jalen Brunson carried New York to the NBA Finals as one of the rare small lead scorers ever to get there, and San Antonio’s length will test whether the Knicks can keep his driving lanes from shrinking.
The NBA’s Finals preview lists Brunson at 26.9 points per game entering the series and notes he is just the fourth second-round pick in the last 45 years to lead his team in scoring entering the Finals. The number frames the problem San Antonio has to solve.
Game 1 of the conference finals told the whole story
The Knicks swept Cleveland to reach the Finals, and the opener was the signature. New York trailed by 22 in the fourth quarter, down 93-71 with 7:52 left, before Brunson scored 38 and fueled an 18-1 run that forced overtime in one of the greatest postseason comebacks the league has seen. The Knicks opened the extra period on a 9-0 burst and outscored Cleveland 44-11 to finish.
Brunson swept all nine votes to become the first unanimous Eastern Conference finals MVP, averaging 25.5 points and 7.8 assists across the four games. His scoring is the easy thing to track. His real value is how reliably he gets the Knicks into an advantage, rejecting screens, holding a defender on his hip and forcing the low man to choose between tagging the roll and staying with shooters.
San Antonio changes the windows
The Spurs are a different defensive test because Victor Wembanyama changes where the help comes from. Brunson can beat the first defender and still see a second contest waiting above the restricted area. That puts more pressure on New York’s spacing. The Knicks cannot let possessions become Brunson driving into bodies while everyone stands still. They need lift cuts, slot movement, and quick second-side reads when the Spurs send help from the corners.
The size note has real history behind it
Brunson is the first team-leading Finals scorer listed at 6-foot-2 or shorter since Stephen Curry in 2022. Before Curry, it was 6-foot-2 Tony Parker leading the Spurs to their 2014 title. If Brunson finishes the job, he joins Isiah Thomas and Curry as the only players that size to be the clear best player on a champion.
The skepticism is the point. Only seven players in the league average more than Brunson, and he scores against defenders three inches taller or 20 pounds heavier without elite speed or lift. Teammate Josh Hart put it bluntly: “He’s barely six foot, not physically impressive, not athletic.” Brunson wins with footwork, leverage and pace, but the Knicks have to make San Antonio pay when extra length tilts toward him.
Karl-Anthony Towns is part of the Brunson story
NBA.com’s preview flagged Karl-Anthony Towns as the player who can test Wembanyama’s mobility and versatility, and that may be the most important secondary matchup for Brunson. If Towns pulls Wembanyama away from the rim, Brunson’s drives get cleaner. If San Antonio keeps Wembanyama near the paint and trusts someone else to handle Towns in space, New York gets a different scoring window. Either way, Towns’ spacing has to stay connected to Brunson’s creation.
A New York subplot worth knowing
Brunson and his father Rick, a Knicks assistant coach, are the first father-son duo to each play in the NBA Finals for the same franchise. Rick’s own Finals appearance came in 1999 against these same Spurs, the exact matchup his son now inherits 27 years later.
The Knicks need actions, not just shotmaking
During the 11-game playoff win streak, Brunson joined only Kobe Bryant in 2001 and Curry in 2017 as players to average 26 points and six assists across an 11-game postseason run. That shotmaking is the base. San Antonio has enough size to survive some tough buckets if it also forces New York into late-clock isolation. If the Knicks keep moving after Brunson’s first advantage, his rare scoring profile becomes a series lever. If the spacing goes static, the Spurs’ length can turn a strength into a burden.
Receive exclusive NBA news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
