Since the Knicks’ season was cut short in the East Finals, everyone has been playing the blame game. Many believe the unfortunate outcome was because of OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges, who failed to live up to expectations. Well, James Dolan gave up a plethora of assets to acquire the two stars, hoping that they would be the missing pieces that get the franchise over the hump. However, both OG and Bridges were highly inconsistent throughout the playoffs, especially against the Pacers. But was it really their fault?

According to ESPN analyst Kendrick Perkins, the real culprit is Jalen Brunson. “This is what I say about Mikal Bridges. I think you have to address Jalen Brunson before you could start addressing a Mikal Bridges and OG Anunoby and their lack of consistency offensively throughout the Eastern Conference Finals. Jalen Brunson got to get off the ball, man.” Big Perk said on The Stephen A. Smith Show.

According to stats.nba.com, he holds the ball for an average of 6.06 seconds per touch. That stands in stark contrast to, say, a player like Kyrie Irving’s 4.00 seconds per touch. And that difference matters. Irving’s speed-based, reactive style allows for more movement and spontaneity from the rest of the team—something Brunson, intentionally or not, limits when he slows the game down.

Sure, he was the best player for the Knicks in the East Finals, averaging 30.6 points. But Perkins believes the point guard’s habit of holding onto possession for too long limited his teammates from finding their rhythm. He further emphasized his point by comparing Brunson to his former Mavs teammate: “Like he got to get off the ball and say he can’t continue to start the game dribbling the oxygen out of the ball. He’s starting to become a Luka Doncic.”

During the regular season, Brunson led the entire league in time of possession, holding the ball for 8.6 minutes per game, per NBA.com. That’s more than Luka Doncic—widely regarded as the most ball-dominant player in the league—who ranked ninth at 6.6. The trend didn’t stop in the playoffs either. In fact, it intensified: Brunson came second only to Cade Cunningham, with a staggering 9.2 minutes per game. Doncic ranked fourth with 7.8.

Everyone knows that Luka is a great player. Maybe even the most lethal offensive force of this era. However, he too has a habit of holding on to the ball for too long, which sometimes limits his team’s offense. And Kendrick thinks Jalen Brunson has picked up the same issue, “I’m watching him walk the ball up the floor, I’m watching the Knicks start their offense with d— near 15 on the clock. They’re always borderline getting 8 seconds called, and I’m watching Mikal Bridges and OG Anunoby find their offense once Jalen Brunson goes to the bench. That can’t happen, man.”

Moreover, Perkins is not the only NBA legend to point out the Brunson problem.

Ex-NBA Champion warned the Knicks about the Jalen Brunson problem during ECF vs Pacers

Long before Perkins pointed out JB’s lengthy possession problem, former NBA champion Jeff Teague also voiced the same issue on his podcast. After the Knicks lost the first two games to the Pacers at MSG, Teague said, “You know how the Knicks lose these games, bro. Jalen Brunson holds the ball for—the shot clock is 24 seconds—he’s holding that b—- for 17. Ah, trying to get a pick and roll, bring another dude, bring another dude. I’m going one-on-one. If he don’t make it, it’s like f—!”

Even Teague believed that Brunson dribbling the ball for too long was affecting his teammates’ form, “It’s the way he hold the ball, they don’t get no rhythm. That’s why when he come out of the game, all of a sudden, the pace pick up, the tempo pick up, all of a sudden you see people start hooping a little bit. He hold the ball so long. He’s a great player, hell of a player. But he hold it for 18 seconds… There’s no way in hell, I wanna hoop like that.”

Jeff’s comments might have explained why OG and Bridges were unable to bring their A game in the East Finals. That’s because they were not getting enough touches to find their groove, as Brunson dominated the possession for the majority of the series. Until the Knicks solve that issue and urge Brunson to play off the ball more often, other offseason moves might not have the same impact the Knicks want them to. Do you agree with Perkins and Teague?