May 25, 2026; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) shoots in the first quarter against the Cleveland Cavaliers during game four of the eastern conference finals for the 2026 NBA playoffs at Rocket Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images
Jalen Brunson just wants to win. The accolades, titles, or rankings on where he falls among the greatest Knicks of all-time are just noise — something he has no need to take part in.
Of course, that is because there are much larger demons to slay.
But we have the time to debate where the 29-year-old already falls within the upper echelon of Knicks greats, because it is already a given that he belongs in that top tier despite this being just his fourth season with the organization.
There is still a long way to go before we can definitively say that he ranks above the likes of, say, Patrick Ewing, or Walt Frazier, or Willis Reed, but there is something to be said that this conversation is being had already.
Simply put, Brunson was the biggest piece to wrench the Knicks out of their two-decade-long abyss despite being one of the most unlikely candidates. Repeatedly doubted by personalities feigning basketball intelligence, deemed too small and not skilled enough to be the No. 1 man on a contending team.
Yet the resume speaks for itself: A three-time All-NBA team member, a three-time All-Star, 26.3 points and 6.8 assists per game, and now an Eastern Conference Finals MVP after leading the Knicks to their first NBA Finals appearance since 1999.
All while playing on a team-friendly deal in which he left $113 million on the table.
He has spearheaded the tortured franchise’s most successful period in 30 years and is now on the precipice of joining elite company. In the Knicks’ 79-year history, only 16 players have appeared in the NBA Finals and won it. If they can defeat the San Antonio Spurs, at least 10 more names are added to that list, but none of it happens without Brunson.
He’s averaging 26.9 points with 6.6 assists this postseason, and that includes a pair of Game 4’s in which he did not even play the fourth quarter, thanks to runaway results to complete sweeps of the Philadelphia 76ers and Cleveland Cavaliers.
A championship immediately puts him in a different statosphere over Ewing or Carmelo Anthony, though their longer stints with the organization — particularly Ewing’s ability to revitalize the organization from its doldrums in the early 1980s — give those not ready to give Brunson his flowers yet a leg to stand on. That point becomes moot the longer the captain stays at Madison Square Garden, and is completely destroyed if multiple championships are won. Then he officially creates a big three alongside Reed and Frazier.
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