Since joining the team last season, Jalen Brunson has returned pride to the New York Knicks. That statement is as big as the impact Brunson has made.
Jalen Brunson led the Knicks to the Eastern Conference quarterfinals last season, the first time since 2013 that the team made it that far. This year, Brunson has positioned the Knicks as a championship contender. That’s a mouthful, I know, but it’s an accurate portrayal of a team that just finished January by winning 14 of 16 games (88%).
Moreover, I believe that Brunson is the franchise’s best player since Patrick Ewing. The first-time All-Star celebrated last night by scoring 40 points in the Knicks’ 109-105 home win over the Indiana Pacers.
By all accounts, he should’ve been an All-Star last year – but it was his career year, and coaches had to see more before they knew. Without a doubt, they know now he’s not a flash-in-the-pan. Some say we should be outraged that he wasn’t selected as an All-Star starter. Seriously, though. Who cares? Besides, if Knicks fans are upset, the slight is on them for not stuffing the ballot box the way Pacers fans filled it up for Tyrese Haliburton.
So, what makes Brunson so breathtaking? It’s one word: reliability.
The Knicks knew they could count on him to play and perform every night. Why else would Knicks President of Basketball Operations Leon Rose and Knicks Head Coach Tom Thibodeau have been so hell-bent on signing him? They know he gives everything he’s got on the court, and that effort means he earns every penny his contract promises.
Let’s face it: without Brunson’s contributions, the Knicks would be on the road to nowhere, and Julius Randle’s year would’ve looked a lot different.
The Knicks knew Brunson would be a better-than-average point guard, but they couldn’t have foreseen his superstar status, and neither could anyone else. If the Dallas Mavericks had, then they’d have signed him to an extension before he fit the free agent market. Their goof was the Knicks’ gain – a flub that forced them to pivot and pick up the mercurial Kyrie Irving in a trade last year.
Brunson is a guy that the Knicks can rely on to make a shot in a tight game. That trait makes me liken him to Chauncey Billups, and we haven’t seen a talent like that in New York since Ewing left. (Sorry, but Carmelo Anthony shot the Knicks out of a game and a win, so it’s hard to say he was a great player for them.)
Brunson’s not only the team’s best defender but also a player who makes his teammates better. Randle’s stats soared because Brunson knows how to handle a pick-and-roll, enabling Randle to score.
The Knicks star provides a reason to watch this team. When was the last time anyone said that? You don’t know exactly what you’ll see when Brunson’s on the court, but you can bet it will be something special. And if the Knicks keep up the run they’re in, Brunson should be an MVP candidate. He’s the Knicks’ indispensable player. While I believe this team can get by with Randle being out for several weeks (guys like Donte DiVincenzo and Jason Hart will fill the void), the Knicks would be hard-pressed to sustain things if Brunson hit the pines.
Brunson isn’t just a great player; he also has the temperament to play in New York, and that trait can’t be taken for granted. He’s a relentless competitor, too, always playing like he has something to prove. And while we’ve seen so many Knicks stars trying to be “the guy”–Stephon Marbury, Kristaps Porzingis, and Anthony come to mind–they couldn’t get it done. All those players had great games, but none could do what Brunson is doing now. His durability is one reason why. Brunson may be nicked up, but he’s always out there playing through the pain.
I can’t figure out why the national media and most basketball fans rarely consider Brunson a star in the same category as Haliburton and Lillard. But maybe that’s a good thing; proving people wrong makes Brunson an excellent fit for the Knicks. It fuels his refuse-to-lose attitude, which was displayed Thursday night when he engineered the Knicks’ comeback against the Pacers after the Knicks trailed by fifteen (41-26) in the second quarter.
New York is full of folks who must work hard daily to make a living, and Brunson is just like that. That’s yet another thing that makes him likable and easy to root for. Fame hasn’t changed him one bit; he’s the same guy who played for Villanova, humble and down-to-earth.
Bottom line? If Jalen Brunson keeps things up (and I think he will), he’ll eventually be enshrined in Knicks’ folklore. So, folks, a BIG NBA story is unfolding in New York City.
