When the New York Knicks take on the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday night, they will be led by guard Jalen Brunson, who continues to brush off the haters, coaches and media types who claim that he is not a 1A guy when it comes to NBA championship team building.
Those doubters forgot to look at his résumé from high school and college at Villanova where he won a national title and a Naismith Award as the best player in the country. Those are usually 1A guy credentials.
Jalen Brunson Continues To Silence Critics
Becky Hammon doubts his size. Candace Parker fronted on his elite skills that pay the bills. Others who have slept on this new Knicks team’s ascension into the elite squads in the Eastern Conference also need to wake up quickly.
Brunson is proving nightly that he is that dude. All 6 feet 2 of him. The best point guard the Knicks have had in decades is Mark Jackson and Rod Strickland rolled up in one.
Jalen Brunson Named 2023-24 All-Star Reserve
Brunson, the man most responsible for this Knicks transformation, was deservedly selected to his first All-Star game, named as a reserve for the Eastern Conference.
Brunson carries the offensive load for the Knicks who are in third place in the Eastern Conference, averaging 27.1 points per game, 6.4 assists and shooting a scorching 48 percent from the field.
Brunson is averaging 32.6 ppg during this recent nine-game win streak by the Knicks, the most ever by a Knicks star over that span since Carmelo Anthony was lighting it up in 2014.
After torching the Atlanta Hawks with 40 points on 15 of 30 shooting in a 109-105 victory on Feb 1, Brunson spoke about his long road to being accepted as one of the best players in the game. Brunson was emotional in a way that is not typical following a midseason victory.
Madison Square Garden Crowd Shouts “M-V-P” As Emotional Jalen Brunson Does Interview
The MSG crowd is also back in effect as one of the more supportive and raucous in the league. The New York fans shouted “M-V-P” during Brunson’s postgame interview.
Madison Square Garden has also returned to a place where it’s almost impossible to beat the Knicks again. New York is now 18-5 at home this season and, beyond that, the Knicks are 15-2 since 2024 walked in the door.
The Knicks need a superstar. It wasn’t obvious to most at first because he doesn’t fit the prototypical view of what an MVP is these days. The NBA has been the land of the big man and is increasingly moving in that direction, with 7-foot unicorns all the rave and freakishly sized and athletic players such as Giannis Antetokounmpo and Nikola Jokic and Joel Embiid hogging the MVP train.
Under the leadership of Brunson, a proven winner at every level, and with the trade for OG Anunoby, the Knicks are starting to build a legit title contender. At the very least they will be a tough out for anybody this postseason as their defense continues to be an integral part of the team philosophy.
He may not be the most physically imposing player on the squad, but the Knicks’ destiny will go as far as Jalen Brunson’s big-time All-Star game takes them.
