It was an off-shooting day for Jalen Brunson on Monday but it didn’t take away from his role as “floor general,” as termed by Julius Randle.

Brunson scored 16 points but didn’t score in the first quarter, shot 5-for-23 from the field and only sank one 3-pointer on nine attempts.

His shot was only consistent at the foul line, where he went 5-for-5.

However, his career-high 14 assists helped power the Knicks over the Timberwolves, 112-106, to kick off 2024.

“It’s a credit to guys knocking down shots, but I just saw how the defense was playing,” Brunson said. “They collapsed a little bit and I was able to find guys in the right spots and they were knocking them down. It’s all my teammates and it had nothing to do with me.”

While Brunson indeed had the help of Randle’s 39 points, along with the debut of OG Anunoby, who put up 17 points, Randle and head coach Tom Thibodeau praised Brunson for his aggressive efforts on the floor from taking charges to going after loose balls.

“I always say this: you’re not gonna shoot it great every night, but you can play well even if you’re not shooting well. So do other things,” Thibodeau said. “Make plays, play great defense, hustle, and if you do that, the most important thing is finding a way to win, and just contribute in any way that you can. Some nights it’s just not your night. It’s someone else’s night.”

“Amazing,” Randle said of Brunson’s new career high. “Coach always says if you’re not shooting the ball well, find other things to do well. He took charges, he fought and competed on the defensive end. He’s the floor general, getting everyone to open spots. We missed a lot of shots or he easily could have had 20 assists.”

It was Brunson’s first double-digit assist line of the season, having previously recorded nine twice last month.

His previous career high came on Oct. 26, 2022, when he had 13 assists in overtime game against Charlotte.