New York Knicks point guard Jalen Brunson has been cementing himself among the best players at his position in the NBA. Since joining the Knicks as a free agent in 2022 from the Dallas Mavericks, he has proven he deserves to have his name mentioned amongst the other great point guards.
Not only is Brunson one of the best point guards currently in the league, but he is quickly moving up the Knicks’ franchise ranks as well. Given how bad the situation at point guard was for New York in the years leading up to Brunson’s arrival, his impact has been felt that much more.
Brunson became the first point guard since Chris Duhon in 2008 and 2009 to be the starter at point guard in consecutive seasons. It was a long, sometimes ugly list of starters the Knicks had at the position before Brunson, and even before Duhon, things were ugly more often than not.
Not having a point guard to lead the way limited how effective New York could be on the court. It would be like a football team not having a good quarterback; without someone to lead the offense, the team would falter.
That is no longer the case with Brunson, who has been excellent in his first chance as the unquestioned lead ball-handler for a team. After sharing the role with Luka Doncic earlier in his career, he is happy to now be leading his own team.
The decision to sign with the Knicks has turned out to be a great one. Everyone is benefitting and Brunson is producing at a level rarely seen for the franchise. As shared by the Knicks’ official account on X, Brunson is tied with Carmelo Anthony as the second-fastest player to reach 3,000 points with the franchise.
Brunson and Anthony both reached the mark after playing 118 games with the team. That is an impressive feat for Brunson, especially given how many doubters there were when he signed with the Knicks.
He has dealt with naysayers throughout his basketball life and has continually proven them wrong. Brunson has been an integral part of things turning around for the Knicks, going from laughingstock to legitimate contenders in just a few years.
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