As of right now, Jalen Brunson is averaging 26.7 points per game throughout his career as a New York Knick. That is tied with Bob McAdoo for the highest-ever points-per-game average among Knicks that played at least 100 games for the franchise. The requirements change over time, but Basketball Reference – which has required 58 games played per season since Brunson signed in New York – also has the 29-year-old guard as qualifying for a tie with McAdoo. While he's often criticized for his height, or lack of it, Brunson's legend just keeps growing in New York City.
Brunson is cementing himself as an all-time Knick great
The Knicks' superstar point guard is playing so well this season that his head coach has taken to the postgame podium several times to make his case for any and all discussions regarding the league's Most Valuable Player award. Brown has declared that Brunson is a "real MVP," among other examples of high praise.
The latest line on Brunson's Knick résumé requires no introduction or persuasion of any kind from Brown, however. The point guard's latest accomplishment, valid for as long as he can uphold the production, is purely statistical. It's also indicative of the impact he can have, from his nightly play on the court to the ways in which he has completely turned a franchise around.
Brunson has led the Knicks to on-court heights that they had not reached since before this author's birth, with the team's Eastern Conference Finals loss to the Pacers representing that 'success.' The guard, and team's, ultimate goal is an NBA Championship, though.
What's the next step for Brunson's Knick legacy?
They came close with their NBA Cup victory in Las Vegas, giving the team its first opportunity to hang a banner of any kind in over a decade. They passed up on that chance, though, in favor of maintaining a singular focus on their postseason goals.
Walt "Clyde" Frazier is widely known as the Knicks' greatest player of all time, in great part because he led two teams all the way to NBA Championships. Those two rings, which Frazier loves to show off on the team's broadcasts on MSG Networks, have been discussed in excess by national networks as the only two the organization has won.
Brunson and the Knick team that he captains have the ability to change that. His scoring excellence has translated to the playoffs. They beat the defending champions last season and unfortunate injuries left them and the Cavaliers alone atop the Eastern Conference.
If Christmas Day was any sort of indication with regard to how things would go between those two teams in a playoff series, things ultimately didn't end up seeming all that different from the first round of the 2023 NBA postseason.