Mike Ehrmann/Getty ImagesMaybe it's his age (27) or physical limitations (6'2", 190 lbs with less-than-elite explosion), but Brunson sort of feels awfully close to his full potential. And yet, he only has five seasons under his belt, and in three of them he operated primarily as a reserve. We may not have seen his best yet.
After spending this offseason with Team USA at the FIBA World Cup, his confidence could be at an all-time high. And if that ups his aggressiveness, his stats could climb even higher. He averaged 24 points and 6.2 assists this past season; get those numbers closer to 27 and 8, and he'd be a lock for the All-Star Game and maybe even a starter.
Everything about Brunson's 2022-23 breakout seems sustainable, so it's hard to tell where any regression would strike. Maybe he won't shoot 41.6 percent from three again, but his 38.6 career three-point percentage suggests his splash rate wouldn't fall far. If he takes on more touches, he might commit more turnovers, but that's never been a problem area in the past.
The worry with Brunson, then, might be more about plateauing than declining. While he has arguably cemented himself as a top-30 player, if he can't crack the top 20, then the Knicks aren't making any more noise than they did last season, when they were knocked out of the conference semis.
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