For Knicks’ Jalen Brunson, his floater is all about crafty angles and touch

Jalen Brunson isn’t aiming for the front of the rim on all those floaters. Yet, because they drop like a feather, a little contact doesn’t ruin his baskets, either.

Like many of the world’s top marksmen, Brunson aims for the back of the iron when he shoots. Yet, an unusual amount of his makes grace the front of the basket before they flutter through the net.

“It’s the basketball gods,” Brunson said before admitting he’s blessed with respectable athletic abilities. “I think I have decent touch. The ball hits the rim. It’s at an angle where it hits soft and it kind of goes in.”

The New York Knicks have won all three of their games since Brunson returned from a calf injury less than a week ago. The trio of victories may not have occurred without their point guard, who has gone for at least 20 points in all three second halves, scoring 20 in Wednesday’s win over the Houston Rockets, 25 in Thursday’s victory over the Washington Wizards and 23 in Saturday’s win over the Toronto Raptors.

He’s diced teams up with floaters, drives, 3-pointers, you name it. The key to his success has been that touch, which he studies not just on the court but also in the numbers.

Brunson is famous for playing with angles, whether with his pivots or on his drives. He’s no different in how he treats the arc on his jumper. A couple of times a season, Brunson checks in on the tracking data, usually around midway into the schedule and then once again in spring. If he’s in a slump, he may take a peek at his angles then. If the jumper is flat, that could alert him to a mechanical problem.

The goal is to slingshot off his fingertips at a 43- to 47-degree angle.

“Sometimes, longer defenders, you’re higher,” Brunson said. “You obviously wanna shoot the same shot every time, but if someone’s closing out on you, then you push it a bit higher.”

Sometimes, like on a Saturday in April, 47 degrees isn’t high enough.

One of Brunson’s highest-arcing floaters of the season, a fallaway teardrop along the baseline, came near the end of the Wizards game.

Sometimes, the great ones have to make it up as they go.

Brunson has rattled off four consecutive 30-plus point performances. He’s averaging a career-best 26.5 points and has maintained his efficiency numbers in the process. Even if he doesn’t start the All-Star Game, he’s a lock to make it as a reserve. And when you’re streaking the way he is these days, lofting steep floaters over multiple defenders is nothing.

With the Knicks on a three-game winning streak and preparing for the Brooklyn Nets on Tuesday, Brunson’s crafty angles are only one item to address. Here are more thoughts on Josh Hart’s dribbling, Donte DiVincenzo’s and Julius Randle’s chemistry and more:

When they go right …

Hart goes left.

Watch Hart just about every time he snags a defensive rebound and darts up the court. It doesn’t matter what side he’s on or what direction he’s headed; the ball…