For a long time, the New York Knicks were the laughing stock of the NBA. They were constantly near the bottom of the standings, chasing relevancy with ill-fated trades and free agent acquisitions that almost always turned out to be busts.
But, things began turning around when Leon Rose took over the front office in March of 2020. The franchise began finding some footing with him leading the way, as he and general manager Scott Perry had a plan in place which they were executing to perfection.
Their biggest acquisition to this point has been the signing of point guard Jalen Brunson. New York was stuck in a quagmire when it came to the point guard position. They were unable to find someone to lead the team consistently until they poached Brunson away from the Dallas Mavericks.
NBA NEWS & RUMORS: Jalen Brunson, Patrick Ewing, Tom Thibodeau, New York Knicks Updates
At the time of his signing, during the 2022 NBA offseason, it was panned by analysts and insiders. They believed the Knicks had overpaid for Brunson, but he has quickly proven all of the doubters wrong.
Brunson has turned himself into a bonafide superstar, outperforming even the grandest of expectations. Even the most optimistic of Knicks fans and Brunson believers couldn’t have seen this ascension coming as he is a legitimate MVP candidate.
It has been a while since the Knicks have had a player like this to rely on night in and night out. New York won 50 games, earning the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference for the 2024 NBA Playoffs.
The performance Brunson put together had head coach Tom Thibodeau reminiscing about a star he used to coach back when he was an assistant for the Knicks; Patrick Ewing. Following the team’s victory in the season finale over the Chicago Bulls, Thibodeau compared the work ethic and leadership Brunson brings to the table to that of Ewing.
NBA NEWS & RUMORS: Jalen Brunson, Patrick Ewing, Tom Thibodeau, New York Knicks Updates
“As soon as we signed Jalen, it was immediately into the gym… there’s no Fake-A-Gram or Instagram, or whatever they call it… it sets the tone for your team,” Thibodeau said, via Knicks Videos on X, comparing Brunson to Ewing.
During his tenure with the Knicks and NBA career, the only thing missing from Ewing’s resume is a championship. Brunson is hoping to end the title drought in New York as the Knicks are emerging contenders in the Eastern Conference.
A franchise that has been on the lookout for a star player for a long time now has one in Brunson. It will be interesting to see how Rose and the front office navigate the 2024 NBA offseason and beyond because this is a team ready to compete for championships.
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