It was not that long ago that the New York Knicks were the joke of the NBA.
They weren’t necessarily the worst in the league but for one of the wealthiest, most high-profile organizations in the sports world, the Knicks have severely underperformed. The way the team was run didn’t help either.
But something has happened in the last two years. There have been a number of arrivals that have changed the mood, but there is one in particular that has completely changed the way basketball fans think about the Knicks.
Jalen Brunson has been a revelation for New York. His gameplay and attitude have endeared him to a notoriously passionate crowd. The Knicks have made it to the playoffs in both years Brunson has been in town, turning the team into one that features highly in the betting markets of sites profiled at Online Sports Betting.
Can he already be considered a Knicks legend? And if so, where does he rank against the best?
A Good Knicks Team
We are not arguing against the fact that Brunson is a very good player.
But it is also true that he has arrived at Madison Square Garden when the Knicks have been fortunate enough to have a number of good players. For the first time in a long time, the Knicks have an excellent starting five and depth on the roster.
A lot has been made of the Villanova connection, with the Knicks seemingly plundering the alumni roll to turn the franchise into “Nova York”. Well-regarded players have been allowed to leave as the organization has recruited and traded to very good effect. Brunson may be the heartbeat of the current Knicks team, but he is far from being the only star on show.
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Bringing Hope to the Garden
Part of becoming a New York Knicks legend is being a firm fan favorite and that hasn’t always necessarily meant being part of a successful team. This is a franchise that hasn’t won a championship since 1973 and has not even made it as far as the Conference Finals since the turn of the millennium, after all.
Brunson has not only upped the winning record of the team, but has also raised the hopes of the fans. This is a fan base that is not backward in coming forward and is quite happy to tell you what it thinks. One thing is for certain, they love Jalen Brunson. Chants of “MVP” rang out at just about every game towards the end of last season and there is no doubt that Knicks fans’ confidence has been boosted by Brunson’s presence.
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Support of Legends
Former players can sometimes be quite scathing about some of the modern-day athletes.
There is a natural inclination for stars from the past to say the game was better in their day and that not all of today’s stars would be able to shine in the years gone by. But Brunson has the noted support of some of the biggest names in Knicks history.
Walt Frazier, arguably one of the greatest Knicks ever, has publicly stated that Brunson could be one of the greats – and has the potential to be even better.
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Charles Oakley, no stranger to adulation from the Knicks faithful himself, also considers Brunson to be better than just about everyone in recent franchise history – including his former teammate, Patrick Ewing.
Players to Compare Brunson Too
The New York Knicks have had plenty of world-class players over the years and many fans and pundits look to compare the modern-day roster to those older stellar rosters. Pat Riley’s “tough town, tough team” of the 1990s is often considered as one of the best never to win an NBA championship.
Ewing was the leader of that group but another legend of more recent times is Carmelo Anthony. The Brooklyn native arrived at the Garden in 2011 when the Knicks hadn’t enjoyed a winning season in 10 years. He was undoubtedly a great player but needed players around him in a way that Brunson doesn’t to excel. It is also worth noting that Brunson already has more playoff points in two years than Melo managed in seven years in New York.
What Brunson Needs to Do Next
It feels as though Jalen Brunson can do no wrong at the moment.
Last season’s performances bought him lifelong praise from the Knicks fans. But signing an extension in the offseason that essentially saved the organization around $113 million shows that he is a decent guy thinking about long-term success for New York too.
Unswerving adulation from the fans already seems locked in for Brunson but he can still do more to cement his place as one of the greatest ever at the Garden. To answer the question in the headline, Brunson can already be considered a Knicks legend. But if he can lead the team to at least the Eastern Conference Finals next year, he will be held in even higher regard.
The Knicks – including Brunson – were unlucky to suffer so many injuries at the most important time of last season and as good as the Pacers were, New York deserved a go at the Celtics. If Brunson can somehow improve and keep injury-free – and then bring a championship to Madison Square Garden he will no longer be just a Knicks legend.
That kind of achievement would probably make him the Mayor of New York.
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