Jalen Brunson made clear when the New York Knicks initially signed him in 2022 that he was not the franchise's "savior."
He was wrong.
The guard still rejects any notion that he's the reason for the Knicks' turnaround, despite the team's four consecutive years of improvement after adding him to their roster. He took that a step further after practice on Wednesday, telling a reporter who called him a "star" that he wouldn't accept the title.
Brunson's refusal to accept "star" label is perfectly on brand
Everyone that watches the NBA knows that Brunson is certainly a star-level player. But his refusal to describe himself in that light is simply the latest example of him being the perfect star for New York.
Brunson was asked about the Knicks' offense evolving to lean more on Karl-Anthony Towns as a playmaker, and it resulting in less of a reliance on the guard as an isolation scorer.
"One, I'm not a star. Two, I want to win," the point guard told reporters in Tarrytown, per SNY.
Brunson's Jeter-esque demeanor when dealing with the press prevents unnecessary distractions. But it also reflects the signature level of modesty with which he approaches any discussion of his abilities (unless Josh Hart is involved).
Javier Bardem had the perfect take on this in Dune: Part Two. As Stilgar – and in reference to Knicks superfan Timothee Chalamet's portrayal of Paul Atreides – he declared that, "The Mahdi is too humble to say he is the Mahdi. Even more reason to know he is!"
It's that humble streak of Brunson's, off of the court, that makes Knick fans all the more willing to follow the 6-foot-1 point guard into battle on the hardwood.
The guard first set that tone when he signed with the franchise, telling reporters that he wants to "be himself" on the Knicks and making clear that he is "not a savior in any way, shape or form," per the New York Post.
The organization was belittled nationally for the extent to which they clearly trusted Brunson as their lead player, which they indicated with his initial contract. Despite the guard's pleas to be seen as anything other than the team's knight in shining armor, the expectations were high nonetheless.
Brunson blew past them all, even including those of the Knicks' front office themselves. They initially eyed other All-Star guards such as Donovan Mitchell on the trade market, even after adding their current team Captain. The team realized as Brunson led them past the Cavaliers, led by Mitchell himself, that they hadn't truly missed out on much.
That wasn't because Mitchell wasn't, or isn't, an incredibly impressive player. It's because Brunson was just that good.
The guard has continued to captain the Knicks to new heights, which has most recently included playoff domination good enough to land atop history books. He's been rewarded with All-NBA honors in each of the last two seasons. And he won't even let local reporters call him a star.
If anyone is going to lead a Knicks locker room to the mystical, mythical heights they haven't seen in more than 50 years, it might just be Brunson: the player that's made a career out of defying the odds at every turn.
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