We don’t hear much criticism or backhanded compliments about Jalen Brunson or the Knicks anymore, with pundits, former and current NBA stars, and basketball luminaries all over what they’re accomplishing as the playoffs approach. I agree.
TNT Studio analyst Kenny Smith changed his tune from earlier in the season when he said the Knicks never had the “best player on the floor” against other top opponents.
“The New York Knicks are, to me, the most surprising team in basketball right now,” Smith said on Thursday’s postgame show after the Knicks defeated the league-leading Celtics in Boston.
“They should be a No. 6 seed without Julius Randle. [Mitchell] Robinson missed the game, O.G. [Anunoby] Missed games. Brunson was the best basketball player in the Eastern Conference to date. ”
Brunson scored 39 points in the win without playing a fourth quarter and was averaging a league-high 39.4 points over his previous five games heading into Friday’s home game against the underdog Nets at the Garden.
Anunoby then said Brunson “should win MVP” in the league, and Basketball Hall of Famer and former Knicks coach Rick Pitino seemed to agree.
“I was surprised by the content.” [Knicks] “Teamwork, discipline, coaching and an insatiable desire to win,” St. John’s current coach posted on Friday’s X.
“This year’s MVP isn’t bad either!” Go, Knicks! ”
ESPN analyst Kendrick Perkins, who earlier threw flowers at the Knicks before the All-Star break, reiterated his previous statement that he believes Brunson is “the best point guard in the league.”
“What I hear all the time, whether it’s on this network or another network, is that the Knicks with Jalen Brunson never have a No. 1 or No. 2 player on the floor. And he Every time you play against someone else’s favorite player, you win in great fashion,” Perkins said on Friday’s First Take.
“When you look at this Knicks team, what do they have? They have a culture, they have an identity on both ends of the floor. And when it comes to game changers and game managers, Jalen… Brunson is both, whatever you want him to be, he’s a closer.”
In a subsequent network appearance, Perkins described Brunson as a “top three” MVP candidate and “could be the best player on any series other than the series.” [Denver center Nikola] Jokic. ”
Perkins didn’t reserve praise for Brunson, but also singled out Anunoby, who recently returned to action after missing 27 of 30 games following elbow surgery.
The Knicks enter Friday’s game 18-3 in 21 games in which the two-way wing has appeared following a late December trade that sent former first-round picks RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley to the Raptors. It was a loss.
“I can’t say enough good things about OG Anunoby,” Perkins said. “He’s probably the most undervalued player in the game. He’s actually the best role player and the best 3-and-D player in the league.
“What he brought to the table cannot be replaced. There’s a reason Toronto set the bar so high for their OGs. And as for the impact he had on the Knicks’ uniforms, we… are witnessing it now.”
On Friday, the Knicks had a chance to at least clinch the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs with a 1-1 loss against the Cavaliers.
To take over the No. 2 spot, the Bucks needed to win each of their remaining two games after losing their last two games, including one against Oklahoma City on Friday night.
