The New York Knicks have been a franchise for 76 seasons, their inaugural season coming in 1946-47. Jalen Brunson has just completed one of the best scoring seasons in team history.
The 2023-24 regular season ended with the Knicks defeating the Chicago Bulls 120-119 in overtime. That leaves their record at 50-32, good for the second seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs. Brunson scored 40 points, an occurrence which has happened quite frequently this season.
Where Jalen Brunson’s 2023-24 Scoring Output Ranks in Knicks Team History
Posts the Third-Highest Single-Season Scoring Average in Team History
In Brunson’s 77 games this season, he totaled 2,212 points. That is good for a 28.73 scoring average, which is the third-highest in Knicks franchise history. It is the highest scoring average by a Knicks player in nearly four decades.
The. 27-year-old went on a scoring heater to end the season, which allowed his points per game to considerably rise. Over his last 17 outings, the point guard averaged 35.06 points.
The highest scoring average in franchise history is owned by Basketball Hall of Famer Bernard King. In 1984-85, the forward averaged an extraordinary 32.89 points per game while winning the scoring title. He was the first Knicks player to lead the league in scoring and still just one of two as Carmelo Anthony later won a scoring title in 2012-13. King’s 1984-85 squad didn’t surround him with much talent though as the team finished 24-58.
The only other Knicks player to finish with a higher scoring average in a single season than Brunson is Richie Guerin. Way back in 1961-62, the 2013 Basketball Hall of Fame inductee went on to average 29.53 points an outing. Much like King, Guerin’s scoring outbursts didn’t translate to a lot of team success as New York finished 29-51 that season.
Anthony’s 2012-13 season that saw him win the scoring title places him with the fourth-highest scoring average in a single season for the Knicks at 28.66. Rounding out the top five is the franchise leader in career points, Patrick Ewing, who averaged 28.62 points in 1989-90.
Brunson’s 2,212 points this season are also the third-most in a season by a Knicks player behind Ewing’s 2,347 in 1989-90 (played all 82 games) and Guerin’s 2,303 in 1961-62.
Scoring Outbursts Galore From Brunson
On March 31, Brunson scored a career-high 61 points in an overtime loss to the San Antonio Spurs. That fell just one point shy of the franchise record set by Carmelo Anthony on January 24, 2014 when he dropped 62 in a win against the Charlotte Hornets.
That was one of two 50+ point games from the six-year pro this season. Brunson finished with a 50-point night in a win against the Phoenix Suns on December 15. Altogether, he had 36 games of at least 30 points and 11 of at least 40.
Now Jalen Brunson will look to continue his sheer dominance in the postseason. The Knicks will play the winner of the Miami Heat at Philadelphia 76ers matchup in the Play-In Tournament which will take place on Wednesday.
More must-reads: