Nine assists a game in a month of March plus 10 more to kickoff the April slate. Jalen Brunson is moving the ball like never before–and it’s right on time for a Knicks team gearing up for a playoff run they hope can result in an NBA Finals appearance.

Brunson’s average of 8.9 assists per game in March marked the most assists the All-Star guard has dished in any month of his now eight-year NBA career. The Knicks’ captain is averaging 6.7 assists per game this season under new head coach Mike Brown against his mark of 7.3 dimes a night last year under Tom Thibodeau.

Last month, however, in the face of more aggressive defensive coverages, the star Knicks made a clear decision to move the ball early and often. It was a glaring omission in his approach to the game, specifically coming out of the NBA Cup Final victory over the San Antonio Spurs, when the Knicks lost nine out of 11 games opening the 2026 calendar year.

Brunson said a number of factors have fueled his uptick in playmaking: the way defenses have been guarding him chief among them. But his moving the ball directly impacts his teammates, who now–for better or worse–have more of an opportunity to leave an imprint on the outcome of a game. The Knicks’ star tied Russell Westbrook for fifth in assists per game in March, trailing only Indiana’s Andrew Nembhard, Detroit’s Cade Cunningham, Chicago’s Josh Giddey and Denver’s Nikola Jokic. The Knicks went 9-6 in games Brunson played during that stretch.

“[It’s been] a mixture of everything,” Brunson said after a 17-point, 10-assist performance in Friday’s victory over the Chicago Bulls. “Defenses have been aggressive, and I’ve been able to hit guys in the right spots for them to make plays, and that’s all it’s been.”

Brunson logged consecutive 15-assist games in March, falling two shy of a 17-dime career-high set on Nov. 25, 2024 in Denver against the Nuggets. He had 26 points and 13 assists in the March 26 loss to the Charlotte Hornets and another 26 points to go with 10 assists on March 3 against the Toronto Raptors.

Brunson, who is averaging 26 points on the season, averaged 23.7 points last month, but OG Anunoby’s scoring increased, as did Karl-Anthony Towns’ field goal attempts, particularly in the back half of the month.

“Jalen’s just taking what the defense gives him,” Brown said on Friday. “When you’re talking about a great player, that’s what they do. They’re able to adjust their game with what’s in front of him. So, to me, it’s not surprising.

“Some people might think it’s special, but he’s more than capable. He had a good game, but he’s more than capable of that, or putting up 30–or both.”

The Knicks will need both, because Brunson is the NBA’s reigning Clutch Player of the Year, and his shoulders are the ones ultimately carrying the heaviest weight for a franchise seeking its first NBA title since 1973. They knew, however, their star guard could score at-will, as he showed time and time again to fuel consecutive 50-win seasons and the organization’s first Eastern Conference Finals appearance in a quarter-century.

The playmaking? That’s relatively new. But it’s better late than never. In fact, later might be better.