Jalen Brunson has emerged as the 21st-century savior for the New York Knicks. His outcome-defining displays in the 2024 playoff run have ensured the second consecutive semi-final qualification for the franchise for the first time since 2000. This meteoric surge excited the fanbase with a Knicks legend, Charles Oakley, openly applauding his endeavors through a seemingly controversial yet brave move.
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During his latest appearance on SiriusXM Radio, he re-arranged the pecking order of the franchise greats. The Ohio-born believed that Brunson had become the second greatest Knick of all time, only trailing behind the 2x champion, Walt Frazier. In the process, the 60-year-old publicly snubbed iconic figures such as Patrick Ewing and Carmelo Anthony, stating the following:
“[Jalen] Brunson, I’m telling you, Brunson’s the best thing since Walt Frazier. I know somebody gonna say, ‘What about Patrick [Ewing] and Carmelo [Anthony]?’. Okay, they didn’t do this…Brunson’s playing without Julius (Randle), and what he’s doing man, hey, it’s incredible. Keep doing it”.
“Somebody gonna say – what about Patrick and Carmelo? Ok, they didn’t do this”
Charles Oakley has high praise for Jalen Brunson pic.twitter.com/pySi6oMuqR
— SiriusXM NBA Radio (@SiriusXMNBA) May 5, 2024
The recency bias certainly played its part in this bold declaration. After all, Brunson has remarkably carried forward his regular season form of 28.7 points per game, as per StatMuse, into the playoffs. In each of the first-round series games against the Philadelphia 76ers, the Knicks guard scored 20+ points. On top of this, he crossed the 40-point mark in each of the last three clashes to help secure the semi-final spot.
This outstanding consistency caught the eyes of Oakley, serving as the major reason behind his remarks. However, not many agreed with this claim, paving the way for arguments on the matter.
Mark Jackson believed Jalen Brunson had a long way to go
Oakley’s evident overemphasizing of recent events while expressing the order raised several eyebrows. Interestingly, his former teammate, Mark Jackson, was one of the most prominent names on the list. As a result, he called out the 1994 All-Star on his show Come And Talk 2 Me, in the presence of Ewing, stating the following:
“Time out. Are you kidding me? I love you Oak, but what are we doing? Let me introduce you to the greatest, not just since [Walt] Clyde Frazier, the greatest New York Knicks basketball player of all time. That includes everybody. You include everybody that ever played in the blue and orange and you put them on the draft board, the number one pick is Patrick Ewing”.
This vociferous rejection of Oakley’s claim could give rise to exciting debates going forward. Yet, all these points toward the rise of Brunson in recent years, boosting his status rapidly as a Knick. The 27-year-old has time on his side to rise the ranks in everyone’s list, with the opportunity of becoming the greatest franchise player of all time staying within his reach.
