TORONTO – Jalen Brunson’s personal journey through his career has no destination. He knows what he’s pursuing, but only he can decide whether he gets there. It’s the proverbial carrot on a stick.

Earlier this season, as the New York Knicks prepared to start the new season, Brunson talked about how consistency drives him. Be consistent for your team. Be consistent with yourself. Be consistent in your approach. Like perfection, consistency also seems unattainable. What does it even look like? When do you decide that you have achieved it?

“That’s a tough question,” Brunson said with a curious look after Monday’s 113-108 win over the Toronto Raptors when asked about his personal rat race. “I would say…as long as I’m helping my team win, I’ll focus on that and go from there. I will evaluate (the hunt) again at a later date.”

When Brunson believes he’s not getting close to what he’s looking for, he’s his own harshest critic. The numbers speak for themselves. The Knicks captain, who was a top-five MVP candidate a season ago, has consistently posted better offensive numbers. Only his points total has fallen; It’s dropped from a ridiculous 28.7 points per game last season to a still ridiculous 25.4 points per game this season, largely due to playing with more players who are capable of to score at a high level. Brunson’s basic efficiency stats have increased. His advanced shooting stats have increased. His sales are declining. His 7.8 assists per game are a career high.

Brunson is still the prolific, quirky scorer who, despite his size, doesn’t often leave a game with fewer than 20 points. He has developed from an elite 3-point shooter to an elite 3-point scorer. He still owns a few mid-priced homes.

the burner 🔥🔥 @jalenbrunson1 pic.twitter.com/kPaEYq1Tna

– NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) December 10, 2024

However, the part of his job that emerged at the start of this new season is that of being a rental agent. Brunson does every reading. He finds open players. He leaves players open. On Monday night against Toronto, Brunson recorded double-digit assists for the seventh time this season. He only managed that nine times in 77 games last season. Brunson’s ground game was a driving force behind the NBA’s most efficient offense.

The Knicks built a team this offseason that capitalized on all of Brunson’s strengths. His development in New York and under Tom Thibodeau gave the organization the confidence to shake things up, divest from assets and go all-in on the 28-year-old guard. Brunson took advantage. He’s never been better. Despite the Knicks’ continued weaknesses, they haven’t been better in quite some time.

“They surrounded him with guys who can shoot and who can spot the court,” Josh Hart said. “Of course (Karl-Anthony Towns) can pick-and-pop. They surrounded him with other guys who wanted attention.

“He can express that by shooting the ball when other teams don’t give as much help, but when they put two players on him, he’s unselfish.”

A late bloomer in the NBA, Brunson has seen every defensive coverage there is in recent seasons. He’s always found ways to break through it all, but this season seems to be the culmination of all the work he’s put in. Of course, it helps to have those special shooters and scorers by your side, but Brunson has been preparing for moments like this long before he played on a team with so much offensive firepower. He said he worked as a primary backup guard from high school through the beginning of his professional career to tackle certain defensive coverages — blitzes, hedges, drop defense, etc. — “in case I ever needed them.”

When it came time for opposing teams to throw everything at him to slow him down, Brunson felt prepared.

“It’s been happening a lot more lately,” Brunson said. “I’ve always worked on things like this. I just like to trust my readings and my instincts.”

Brunson penetrates deep and creates open kickout threes for his teammates. The extra space provided by the Knicks roster creates cutting lanes for Hart, OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges to run to the basket, and Brunson finds them with aplomb.

Good players make other good players better, and we see that in Brunson’s impact early in the season. That doesn’t mean he hasn’t played with good players in the past. He really did it. However, this is different. The squad around Brunson underlines its strengths. If this attack faltered, it was probably because he wasn’t accepting what the game and the skills of those around him were telling him.

Instead, he is the engine behind the game’s best offense, which is well on its way to becoming one of the best of all time. All because Brunson lets the game come to him.

“He’s 10, 11 (assists) every night now,” Thibodeau said. “He provides a lot of good offense for us. Everyone has this responsibility. Read the game and don’t hold the ball for too long. If you’re open, I want you to shoot. If you’re not open, I don’t want you to exaggerate. Just read what they do. If you have players who play for each other and play unselfishly, that will give you a high scoring rate.”

(Photo of Jalen Brunson driving past Ochai Agbaji: John E. Sokolowski / Imagn Images)