"His space got limited" – Baron Davis details how the Knicks fell apart against Indiana and why Jalen Brunson needs backcourt help originally appeared on Basketball Network .
Jalen Brunson had a stellar 2024-25 season with the New York Knicks , although that run came to a disappointing halt in the 2025 Eastern Conference Finals. Despite being tagged as favorites, the Knicks were ousted by the Indiana Pacers in six games.
Brunson bore the brunt of the criticism, with most blaming him for the Knicks' downfall against the Pacers. But for former NBA player Baron Davis, Indiana did its homework and exposed a flaw in New York's offense.
"My problem with that series is if you watch what happened where Indiana was successful is– half court started to become another defender and a problem for him….even though the court got bigger and wider, his space got limited," Davis said when he appeared on Podcast P with Paul George .
Looking at his performance in that series, there is no question that Brunson gave it his best effort. He averaged 30.7 points in that series and 5.7 assists per game. This was aside from the fact that he was tasked with setting the plays.
Brunson had a lot on his plate in that series. Davis feels it would be best for the Knicks to add another guard to help Jalen out next season.
"I think you need another guard. You need somebody that can handle pressure, bring the ball up and if you put that dude in a block one-on-one down the stretch, you got to double," the 3rd overall pick of the 1999 Draft suggested.
Tasked to carry the heavy load for the Knicks in that series, there were already concerns about how far Brunson's durability would last. During the EC Finals, DeMarcus Cousins pointed out how the Pacers' full-court pressure would take a toll on New York's backcourt, especially Jalen.
"I think that the full-court pressure that they bring every game will eventually wear on Jalen Brunson ," said Cousins on Run It Back. "The fact that Thibs has a short lineup, I think it plays a huge impact in this series. I think the Knicks are a very tough team. Obviously, they have great chemistry. But eventually, I feel that they'll wear down with the Pacers' pressure."
That was the case when the Knicks played the Pacers in Game 6. Brunson finished with only 19 points in that all-important game, his lowest output in that series. He shot poorly from the three-point region (28.6%) and was one of two players who had the most turnovers at 5 in that game.
Talented as Brunson may be, he is still human. The Knicks do have other good players in the mix, like Karl-Anthony Towns , OG Anunoby , Mikal Bridges and Josh Hart . But New York is looking for redemption for the 2025-26 season, and adding another guard would make sense.
It appears the Knicks knew that was an area that needed to be resolved. The team picked up Jordan Clarkson on a minimum deal after the 2021 Sixth Man of the Year award winner agreed to a buyout with the Utah Jazz .
Clarkson should be a good fit for the Knicks, regardless of whether he starts or comes off the bench. Since 2020, the Filipino-American player has led the NBA in points off the bench at 4,589,707 points per NBA.com. He has also totaled 8,045 points off the bench in his career, 11th all-time and first among active players.
Moving forward, the Knicks may not be finished adding new players to the mix. They could target another guard for added depth in that position or probably another wing player.
Any further additions will likely depend on what new head coach Mike Brown has planned. New York is off to a good start, but replicating or exceeding their 2025 playoff run is going to be difficult.
This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Jul 15, 2025, where it first appeared.
