Jalen Brunson’s playoff performance is impossible for Knicks to ignore
By Adam Kester
Is Jalen Brunson worth it for the Knicks?
What makes this hypothetical free agent signing so divisive is the uncertainty surrounding not just the Knicks’ current roster, but Brunson’s potential impact on a new team. Is Brunson someone who can join a younger team like New York and help it get to another level?
My gut tells me he’s worth it. There’s the part of you as a Knicks fan that is always hesitant to throw money at players who aren’t superstars. Then there’s the part of you that feels like you have Stockholm Syndrome and you wonder why signing a great young point guard should even be a question for this team.
Can Brunson, on a new team where he is the lead guard, be someone who averages around 20 points and 6 assists per game? It’s tough to say.
I think the “high-end” player comparison people like to make for Brunson is Fred VanVleet. The comparisons are obvious: their shorter stature, their feisty playstyle, their ability to initiate the offense, and their “late-blooming” career trajectory.
Still, the 28-year-old VanVleet is coming off an All-Star season and is a proven defender, so those comparisons may be a little lofty. I think there are some names we can float around as possible comparisons to Brunson. In terms of the “tier” of guard and what he’s worth, he maybe falls in line with guys like Terry Rozier, Lonzo Ball, or even D’Angelo Russell.
Not that he has an identical skillset at all to those players, but it’s rather about what his value could be on a team. All of those players got big second contracts. That’s just how the NBA works.
For a team like New York, which really lacks a ball-handling guard that knows how to get into the teeth of the defense while creating their own shot and creating shots for their teammates, Brunson could be a solid answer.
What they do with the rest of their roster remains to be seen. But adding Brunson to the team they already have could give them a significant boost and a brighter outlook in both the short-term and the long-term.
