Getty Jalen Brunson of the New York Knicks reacts after scoring against the Washington Wizards.
Since the beginning of January, the New York Knicks have established themselves as one of the hottest teams in the NBA, as they’ve gone 17-9 during this stretch and, at the moment, find themselves on a six-game winning streak.
While many factors have played into the club’s stellar stretch of success as of late, Jalen Brunson’s immaculate production on the court could easily be argued as being their driving force, for, in the eyes of JJ Redick, the 26-year-old has been playing the game’s most important position better than virtually anyone else since the start of 2023.
In a recent episode of his podcast “The Old Man and the Three Things,” the former 15-year NBA veteran praised the Knicks’ top offseason acquisition, going as far as to reiterate his stance made a few weeks back on ESPN’s First Take that he believes Brunson could be in the conversation as the second-best guard in the association since the start of the new year.
“A few weeks ago on First Take they let me do 60-seconds on Jalen Brunson and I gave him some love. And what I said was, since January 1, since, you know, the start of the new year, he’s playing as well as any guard in the NBA outside of Damian Lillard. I said that, that was a direct quote right there. And the responses to that showed me how many f*cking casual fans there are…You could just watch the game and see what Jalen Brunson does on a nightly basis and how important he is, especially in clutch,” Redick said.
So many casual fans in @jj_redick‘s replies
Redick’s comments are shared unanimously amongst the vast majority of Knicks nation this season, with Brunson’s own teammate Julius Randle name-dropping him specifically by stating at a post-game media session on February 2 that the guard deserved to be selected to participate in this year’s All-Star game out in Salt Lake City.
Stats Back Up Redick’s Beliefs on Knicks Guard
As Redick noted, Jalen Brunson has been on an absolute tear since the calendar page flipped to January, and his statistics, both per-game and advanced, strongly back up his pointed praises.
Jalen Brunson has been SPECIAL in NY.
Peep his top 10 plays of the season so far before the @nyknicks seek their 6th-straight win tonight vs. Boston!
Over this particular 25-game stretch, the point guard has found himself posting sensational averages of 28.2 points, 5.6 assists, and 4.2 rebounds per contest while converting on 49.9% of his attempts from the floor and 43.8% of his attempts from deep.
On top of these numbers, Brunson also finds himself ranked first on the team in offensive rating (119.6) and second in plus-minus (4.1) out of those who have played 15 or more games during this span.
With the Villanova product leading the charge, the Knicks as a whole headed into this year’s All-Star break with the best record (33-27) since their Atlantic Division-winning 2012-13 campaign and, as of this writing, find themselves sporting the fifth-best record in the Eastern Conference standings at 36-27.
Brunson may not have the moniker of “NBA All-Star” attached to his name, but, as Redick stated, he’s been playing as well as any guard who does, especially since the start of 2023.
Knicks Wing Sheds Light on Future Plans
Since being acquired by the Portland Trail Blazers via trade on February 8, Josh Hart has quickly become a fan-favorite amongst the faithful followers of the New York Knicks and, in a recent media session, the wing discussed how his experience in the Big Apple thus far has him hopping to stay put for the long-haul.
“That’s something I would definitely want to do,” Hart said. “This is my sixth year in the league, fourth team, fourth organization, sixth head coach. I want a home. I want to find a home and this is a place where I would love that home to be. You know, on the court, there are so many things that align with my principles as a player, and, off the court, just being around with friends and close to family…this would be an amazing spot, this is something that I would love to be in and hopefully they feel the same.”
“I want a home…this is a place where I would love that home to be”
Josh Hart expresses interest in staying with New York long-term and discusses his relationship with Jay Wright and his former agent now Knicks GM Leon Rose #NewYorkForever t.co/NmmtKsOLrj
In possession of a player option for the 2023-24 season, many, such as Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News, are under the impression that the wing will opt out of the final year of his current three-year, $37.9 million contract and test the free agency market this coming summer.
While Bleacher Report’s Grant Hughes has deemed Hart as being the biggest offseason flight risk on the Knicks, considering his latest comments, it appears that he’s strongly leaning toward re-upping with the franchise for a long-term stay.
Since making his first appearance in orange and blue threads back on February 11, New York has gone 6-0 while the 27-year-old has been posting impressive all-around averages of 13.8 points, 5.3 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and 1.2 steals on 63.2% shooting from distance.
Comments
JJ Redick Sounds Off on Knicks Guard Jalen Brunson