Feb 29, 2024; New York, New York, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) watches his three point shot against New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) during the third quarter at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images Brad Penner-Imagn Images

NFL Legend Makes Bold Jalen Brunson, Steph Curry Statement

Originally posted on Golden State Warriors on SI
By Liam Willerup | Last updated Jun 2, 2025 7:12 PM ET

Having an elite scoring option in today's NBA appears essential if you want to have success. Looking at past NBA champions, names such as Giannis Antetokounmpo, Nikola Jokic, and Jayson Tatum come to mind. Therefore, once you land one, it's essential you build the right team around them.

For the New York Knicks, they struck gold when they signed Jalen Brunson from the Dallas Mavericks during the 2022 offseason, as he became one of the top guards in the league since joining New York. So much so, he's received immense praise for his recent playoff performances, sparking NFL legend LeSean McCoy to make a bold statement when comparing Brunson to one of the game's best.

"This might not be popular because I'm a Steph Curry fan but I would say 1 on 1, I think [Jalen] Brunson scores better than Steph 1 on 1."

—LeSean McCoy

(via @TheFacilityFS1)pic.twitter.com/GCm6lLayyA
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) June 2, 2025

"This might not be popular because I'm a Steph Curry fan, but I would say 1 on 1, I think [Jalen] Brunson scores better than Steph 1 on 1," McCoy said on a showing of The Facility on FS1. While McCoy went on to add that he thinks Curry is still the better player, he believes Brunson's 1-on-1 skills are better than Curry's.

Looking at this take from McCoy, a reason for saying that likely stems from the opportunities to score 1-on-1 that Brunson has compared to Curry. During the regular season, Brunson went into isolation at a frequency of 17.3%, while Curry's was at 8.3%. Even though Brunson shows he's a dominant 1-on-1 scorer, Curry is rarely asked to.

Jalen Brunson in Year 7:

26.0 PPG
7.3 APG (Career High)
All-Star
All-NBA
Clutch Player of the Year
Most 30 & 40 PT Playoff Games by a Knick
First Knicks ECF in 25 years

Thank you, Captain. pic.twitter.com/PkGkfYIqFC
— BrunsonMuse (@BrunsonMuse) June 1, 2025

Regardless, McCoy didn't get outrageous and say Brunson was better than Curry. At the end of the day, it's clear the Knicks need some help around Brunson if they want to be serious contenders.

This article first appeared on Golden State Warriors on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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