Captain Crunch isn’t just your dad’s favorite cereal — it’s also the nickname many have affectionately given to Jalen Brunson. And honestly, it fits. After all, this season’s Clutch Player of the Year has made a habit of thriving when the moment matters most.
Brunson hasn’t just propelled the New York Knicks to their first Eastern Conference Finals appearance since 2000 — he’s become the face of a franchise finally turning the corner, leading a new generation of fans into what feels like a long-overdue renaissance. Whether it’s his dismantling of the Pistons or his theatrics against Boston, Brunson has been the moment.
But in Game 3 against the Indiana Pacers, a recurring theme reared its head again: foul trouble.
It’s become a trend. In Game 1, Brunson picked up his fifth foul early in the fourth quarter and was forced to sit with the game still hanging in the balance. In Game 3, déjà vu struck again — Brunson exited with four fouls, re-entered briefly, then quickly picked up his fifth, resulting in a six-minute stretch on the bench during crunch time.
Oddly enough, that stretch may have revealed something bigger.
The Knicks thrived without Jalen Brunson
In Game 1, Brunson’s exit preceded a 14-0 New York run that extended the lead to 16. In Game 3, his absence cleared the runway for Karl-Anthony Towns, who exploded for 20 points in the fourth quarter alone.
To be clear, this isn’t a referendum on Brunson’s clutch gene — he’s got it, no question. But his absence on the floor has exposed a side of the Knicks’ offense that looks… surprisingly balanced. Instead of everything funneling through Brunson in isolation, the ball moves, other players get touches, and the offense starts to hum.
Landry Shamet found open looks. Miles McBride attacked the rim with conviction. Delon Wright's defense changed the game. These aren’t accidents — they’re byproducts of a more democratic offense, the kind that doesn’t stall when one player dominates the ball.
No one is saying the Knicks should bench Brunson in the fourth — let alone in crunch time — but there’s a clear case to be made that his usage needs a recalibration. His scoring outbursts win games. But the Knicks' ceiling might be higher when they trust the team to create, not just the star.
Are the Knicks moving in the right direction? Absolutely.
Is Brunson the engine of that momentum? That answer is suddenly a bit more complicated.