“I would like the referees to respect him and whistle more often under the basket. He's a great finisher, but he's going to end up getting injured because of the number of players falling on him.” This is what Daniel Gafford said the day before about Kyrie Irving, and Tom Thibodeau could repeat, word for word, this statement about Jalen Brunson and the lack of whistles.
After the victory against the Nets, the Knicks coach commented on the end of the match, and this lay-up missed by his playmaker. For him, there was a foul, and generally speaking, Thibodeau believes that the referees do not don't whistle enough. He doesn't understand why Brunson shoots so few free throws.
“I want to take the time to watch the latest action on his penetration” he explains to the press. “I send clips, I do everything right… But what’s happening with him is ridiculous. Really. I won’t say any more…”
Jalen Brunson is number 2 in the NBA in caused fouls
But Thibodeau cannot stay there, and what he asks for is simply consistency in decisions. “I just want consistency. We attack the circle, and I see KAT do it. I see Jalen doing it. There are contacts. A mistake is a mistake. If a player is hit, you must whistle. It's your job! »
In fact, Brunson certainly only shot four free throws last night, but over the season, he shoots 7 on average per game, and he ranks 4th in the NBA in the number of free throws. Furthermore, with 6.3 fouls caused per match, it is number 2 in the entire NBA behind Giannis Antetokounmpo.
