Hawks’ Dyson Daniels reveals the ‘hard to guard’ reality of defending Jalen Brunson appeared first on ClutchPoints. Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Atlanta Hawks have been up to the challenge of stopping the New York Knicks of their tracks, and it’s gotten them a 2-1 collection lead with Game 4 pending. It’s secure to say the Hawks haven’t played their best basketball but, however to date, they’re doing what they want to win in the margins.
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The protection has been key, particularly on Jalen Brunson, who’s the engine of the Knicks. Dyson Daniels has taken the position of primarily guarding him in the collection, and he is aware of how gifted the guard is as a scorer.
“He doesn’t really have a weakness,” Daniels stated to reporters. “You want to force him right, but he’s got a good pull-up going right. It’s about getting the early contact, trying to get him outside the 3-point line because he has a really good bump in the mid-range and a really good shot fake. You have to be disciplined and stay down, keep your hands out. He’s really good at drawing fouls.
“For us, I think it’s about early pick up points, making him work, trying to tire him out a little bit. Once he gets in the paint, he’s really hard to guard. So it’s about trying to keep him out of there.”
Daniels has achieved a great job on Brunson, and he hasn’t had a lot respiratory room once they’re matched up. That may frustrate any offensive participant, and it could be getting to Brunson.
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“Just trying to throw him off his game a little bit. When guys get comfortable, that’s when they get into rhythm,” Daniels stated. “We’ve been throwing different looks at him, just trying to switch things up so he’s not seeing the same thing over and over again. If I were getting defended and pushed and picked up, it’ll probably be frustrating too.”
The Hawks know that in the event that they reduce off Brunson’s water, different gamers on the Knicks can have to step up. That hasn’t been the case for them to date, as gamers resembling Mikal Bridges are nonetheless attempting to discover a rhythm. Karl-Anthony Towns is the clear No. 2 for the Knicks, however he’s hardly been concerned in the offense when the Hawks put a wing on him.
It can be fascinating to see what changes the Knicks make, and the Hawks will want to be ready.
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