Although his New York Knicks couldn’t make it to the ECF, Jalen Brunson put together a memorable scoring campaign during the playoffs. His leadership skills enabled a heavily short-handed Knicks to make it to the seventh game of the ECSF, only to succumb to the Indiana Pacers. In that wake, his teammate Donte DiVincenzo hailed his teammate’s ability to lead the Knicks pack.
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Since Jalen Brunson is 6’2”, and four inches below the average height in the NBA, some prominent personalities doubted his ability to carry a squad.
During a media interaction, after the series loss against the Pacers, DiVincenzo argued that his teammate shut down such narratives and proved that he is a “leader of men”. He also expressed that the Knicks roster had his back throughout the electric journey and wanted him to keep touching new heights,
“Overall, everybody in this locker room supports him, wants him to keep getting better because he makes everybody around him better, not just on the court but off the court, he’s a leader of men and that’s exactly what you need.”
Donte on Jalen: "What he's dealt with in the media of 'He's too small, he's not a #1 option'…He doesn't let anything bother him…Everybody in this locker room supports him…makes everybody around him better…He’s a leader of men…exactly what you need" pic.twitter.com/ZjiWbL93BX
— New York Basketball (@NBA_NewYork) May 20, 2024
During the 2024 postseason, Brunson stacked up 32.4 points, 7.5 assists, and 3.3 rebounds, per game while shooting a respectable 44.4% from the floor, per StatMuse. He made numerous clutch shots and without him, the Knicks wouldn’t have been able to defeat the 76ers in the first round. Thus, he shut down his critics in a resounding fashion.
Jalen Brunson proved Becky Hammon wrong
In December 2023, Las Vegas Aces head coach, Becky Hammon, didn’t fancy the Knicks’ chances of making a deep playoff run. She stated that the Knicks don’t have “a dude” who can elevate their profile in the postseason run.
When Kendrick Perkins argued that Jalen Brunson can be “the dude”, Hammon quickly replied, “But he’s too small” and then added, “I got a philosophy, if your best player is small, you’re not winning.“
“They don’t have a dude. Brunson’s too small. If your best player is small, you're not winning."
Jalen Brunson Last 5 Playoff Games
39 PTS | 13 AST | 48% FG
47 PTS | 10 AST | 53% FG
40 PTS | 6 AST | 47% FG
41 PTS | 12 AST | 48% FG
43 PTS | 6 AST | 54% FG pic.twitter.com/ABtEMXZl4g— KnicksMuse (@KnicksMuse) May 7, 2024
When Brunson scored in the 39-47 points range for five straight playoff games, fans reminded Hammon about her comments. The Knicks guard countered Hammon with the “heart over height” approach and ensured that his Knicks don’t suffer an early exit in the playoffs.
The guard’s ability to maximize the limited talent around him set an incredible precedent for his and the Knicks’ NBA future. He has reeled in a template that the historical franchise has been missing for years. It will be interesting to see how he and the Knicks build on from here.
