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Is Knicks’ Jalen Brunson a top-50 all-time NBA player? Bill Simmons makes the case
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- Is Knicks’ Jalen Brunson a top-50 all-time NBA player? Bill Simmons makes the case
Is Knicks' Jalen Brunson a top-50 all-time NBA player? Bill Simmons makes the case appeared first on ClutchPoints . Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here .
Bill Simmons revealed his thoughts on Jalen Brunson's place among the 50 greatest players in NBA history following the New York Knicks ' championship victory.
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Brunson completed his eighth season in the NBA, his fourth with the Knicks. Year 4 finally saw him get the team to the mountaintop, leading them to their first championship since 1973 after taking down the San Antonion Spurs in five games. Brunson won Finals MVP for his efforts, cementing himself as one of the greatest players in franchise history.
Simmons did a new episode of his podcast on Monday. It was there where he gave his stance on Brunson being on his top 50 list of the best NBA players in history. He made it clear that he is in the rankings.
"He did something that a bunch of great guards were never able to do, he did something that James Harden , as a starter on his own team, never even made the finals and fell short over and over again. Steve Nash , who was an unbelievable player, two-time MVP, through no fault of his own, could never quite get the team there. Chris Paul finally did it in the 2021 finals late in his career, but they lost. Jason Kidd; two straight finals, but he lost, and then finally gets one later as a role player starter in Dallas ," Simmons said.
"What Brunson did was up there with Dwayne Wade in 2006. It was up there with Walton in 1977. You can go on. through, but we're just dragging a team to the finals, and he is somebody that I never in a million years would have thought would make the pyramid. He was the guy over and over again who could create the best offense for them, and he got better when it mattered…I have him at 40. I have him above Nash, Kidd, Sam Jones, Harden, George Gervin, and Luka Doncic."
What lies ahead for Jalen Brunson , Knicks this summer
Jalen Brunson earned his stripes over the years as one of the best guards in the NBA. After leading the Knicks to glory, he will go down as one of the best to ever do it.
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Brunson completed his eighth year in the league with 26 points, 6.8 assists and 3.3 rebounds per game throughout 74 contests. He had shooting splits of 46.7% from the field, including 36.9% from beyond the arc, and 84.1% from the free-throw line.
New York finished with a 53-29 record on the season, securing the third seed in the East standings. They went 16-3 in the playoffs, rolling off 13 straight wins to get to their first NBA Finals since 1999. After beating the Spurs, they end a 53-year drought as they earn their third-ever title.
The Knicks enter the offseason with plenty of security. They retain their star core but will address some holes in the second unit, which they will do in the draft and free agency.
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