The New York Knicks fell to the Orlando Magic, 117-108, on Friday, and head coach Tom Thibodeau was heated. Not essentially due to the loss (though certainly that did not enhance his temper), however as a result of Thibs is “sick and drained” of the way in which Jalen Brunson is being officiated. 

“What [Brunson] goes via is ridiculous,” Thibodeau mentioned. “He is getting hammered time after time, and I am simply getting sick and uninterested in it. I watch [the plays]. I despatched [them into the league office]. I see all of it. And so they’re fouls. Plain and easy. They’re fouls. There is no different method to say it. They’re fouls. 

“Nobody drives the ball to the rim greater than [Brunson] does,” Thibodeau continued. “And should you rake throughout his arm, you rake throughout his arm. When you hit him within the head, you hit him within the head. These are fouls. … Sick and uninterested in it.”

And with that, a disgusted Thibs up and stormed out of the press convention. 

Let’s do some reconnaissance right here. When Thibodeau says “no one drives to the rim greater than Brunson,” is that true? No, it is not. Brunson averages 16.6 drives per recreation, which is a top-10 mark, however an honest bit decrease than guys like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Luka Doncic. 

Going additional, Brunson drives into the paint quite a bit, however he does not usually get all the way in which to the rim, the place a majority of contact is created. Per Cleansing the Glass, solely 16% of Brunson’s complete shot makes an attempt come inside 4 toes of the basket, an exceedingly low quantity. 

So should you’re of the assumption that a certain quantity of drives ought to straight correlate with a sure variety of foul calls (which is flawed logic to begin with, however you do you), then Brunson is not assembly the standards that Thibs thinks he’s. 

Brunson seems to be to do most of his harm within the brief mid-range areas, creating skillful, shifty benefits with footwork and fakes — which does not essentially demand a whistle the way in which a forceful, rim-attacking driver like, say, Ja Morant or Anthony Edwards and even De’Aaron Fox usually does. 

Stephen Curry is a artful, largely grounded finisher like Brunson, quite than a contact seeker; and it is no coincidence that Warriors followers are additionally at all times griping concerning the calls Curry supposedly does not get. 

I do not watch each single Knicks recreation, however I do watch each Warriors recreation and I can let you know, Curry’s case does not maintain water. He is simply not a pure foul drawer. He depends on physique bumps as a result of he isn’t creating vertical benefits that drive aggressive contests. The very artwork of his ending is that it largely avoids shot blockers. The identical goes for Brunson. 

It is why Brunson’s drives generate a median of simply 1.7 free throws per recreation, the identical as Jayson Tatum, who drives half as a lot. The stress they placed on the rim is simply totally different. 

Now, are there cases when Brunson will get hacked and it does not get referred to as? After all. I am definitely not going to bat for the zebras. Typically talking, NBA officers get performed for suckers method too usually. However anybody who watches sufficient NBA hoops is aware of that the issue with officiating is not the calls they do not make; it is those they do. 

Taking all this into consideration, let us take a look at the performs Thibodeau was visually upset about on Friday. 

First quarter: Brunson will get round Jalen Suggs and tries to have his cake and eat it too, stopping brief for somewhat floater whereas additionally subtly transferring backward into Suggs in hopes for a whistle. Neither works, and Brunson merely loses management of the ball. Thibodeau can throw his arms up in disbelief all he desires, however as you possibly can see from Brunson’s response working again, he is aware of he wasn’t fouled. 

Second quarter: Brunson once more breaches the paint, however Suggs slides his toes to remain in entrance and Brunson tries to throw his physique into him. Suggs very clearly holds his floor together with his arms straight up and isn’t within the neighborhood of constructing contact with Brunson. This can be a flop. These are the calls all of us hate, and that is the uncommon event the place the officers do not fall for the antics. 

Fourth quarter: Brunson drives, this time all the way in which to the rim. He fades away from the physique of Goga Bitadze, who performs it straight up, and is rightfully rewarded with a no-call. The issue is that Suggs rakes throughout Brunson’s shoulder/arm from behind when going for the block. 

This can be a foul. The officers simply missed this one. No query about it. 

A greater angle:

This final play is an effective instance of why Brunson does not are likely to get as many foul calls as his aggression as a driver would, on the floor, appear to warrant. Once more, he does not stand up above Bitadze and drive contact. Actually, he fades away from him. 

On this specific play, Suggs occurs to return from behind and get him, however there are many cases the place it is simply Brunson and the large man and he instinctively does what virtually all small, non-leaping guys have spent their complete life doing: Avoiding the shot blocker. Fade away, pivot, flip up a excessive arcing floater or scoop one beneath, no matter craft you possibly can muster. 

It is good for getting buckets. Not for drawing fouls. To me, Thibodeau’s cries to the league workplace are going to proceed to fall on deaf ears, as a result of Brunson will not be getting wronged to the diploma his coach (shocker) desires to imagine he’s.