Detroit Pistons: 3 biggest challenges against the Knicks and how to overcome them
Challenge #3: Stopping the dribble penetration of Jalen Brunson
Another reason the Knicks had so many points in the paint in the first meeting (aside from Pistons’ turnovers) was that Brunson was able to penetrate off the bounce and dump it off to the bigs for easy scores.
Keeping him out of the lane will be crucial for Detroit tonight, as they can withstand a big shooting night from Brunson as long as he doesn’t get everyone else involved. Brunson had nine dimes against the Grizzlies, so stopping his penetration will be one of the keys to victory tonight for Detroit.
How to overcome it
Coach Casey needs to challenge rookie Jaden Ivey to step up defensively tonight and put the clamps on Brunson. He needs to use his length to disrupt passing lanes and move his feet to stay in front of Brunson and force him to shoot longer contested shots instead of living in the paint.
Another way is to make Brunson work on the other end. Every time Ivey closes out on a Brunson jumper, he should be bolting the other way looking for the fast break opportunity. Ivey has a speed advantage here and can take advantage by trying to push in transition every chance he gets and forcing Brunson to play on both ends. The Pistons can also target Brunson in the pick-and-roll and try to get him to switch onto Cade or Bogdanovic in the post to take advantage of their size.
If Ivey can handle Brunson one-on-one, the Pistons will be in good shape, but if they have to help all night, Brunson is good enough to find teammates for lobs and 3-point shots, so keeping him on the perimeter will be key. The more 3-point shots for Brunson, the better.