It wasn’t all too long ago that the New York Knicks were somewhat of a laughing stock, but no one is laughing at them nowadays. The Knicks are in the Eastern Conference Finals for the second year in a row, and Jalen Brunson is the biggest reason why they have gone from also-rans to contenders.
Brunson has impressed one and all with his play, and Hall of Famer Kevin Garnett sang his praises on the Ticket & The Truth podcast.
“He is this generation’s Patrick Ewing,” Garnett said. “He is the best player on the Knicks. He is, for me, the engine that makes that s*** go.”
Patrick Ewing was the Knicks’ driving force in the late 1980s and the 1990s. They made it to the NBA Finals twice in the Ewing era in 1994 and 1999. The second of those trips was the last time the Knicks got to that stage.
Brunson could end that long drought in 2026, but even before he does that, co-host Paul Pierce thinks he has put together a case to be regarded as one of the five greatest players in Knicks history.
“Arguably already a top-five Knick ever,” Pierce said.
Garnett agreed.
“He is,” Garnett said. “Like that motherf****r, if he don’t do that last night, they get smoked. That s*** started with him. He hit three, four shots in a row… It was perfect. The stage was perfect for him to do what he did. What he did last night will be why you remember him. Real s*** man. He took the game over.”
Garnett was referring to Brunson’s heroics in Game 1 against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday. The Knicks seemed down and out when they trailed by 22 points in the fourth quarter, but the three-time All-Star dragged them back in the game.
Brunson had 15 points in the fourth quarter as the Knicks somehow took that contest to overtime. They ended up winning 115-104, and the 29-year-old finished the night with 38 points (15-29 FG), five rebounds, six assists, and three steals.
While you marveled at the comeback, you also feared the Cavaliers wouldn’t recover from that loss. It is debatable how much that has taken out of them, but the Knicks are now up 3-0. They are one win away from getting to the NBA Finals for the first time in 27 years.
No one saw this coming when the Knicks signed Brunson to a four-year, $104 million deal in 2022. It was actually seen as a massive overpay for someone who just had one good playoff run. To say the doubters have been proven wrong would be an understatement.
In the four seasons before Brunson arrived, the Knicks thrice missed the playoffs and lost in the first round on the one occasion they made the postseason. In four seasons with him, they have won six playoff series so far.
The Knicks made it to the Conference Semifinals in 2023 and 2024. They then got to the Conference Finals in 2025, where they lost to the Indiana Pacers in six games. They look set to go one step further this time, and Garnett tips his cap to Brunson for powering this turnaround.
“That list you just spilled off,” Garnett said. “You can’t just make that up. You can’t just walk in and do that. He did that.”
Now, Brunson would be the first to give his teammates credit for the Knicks turning things around. That is just the kind of leader he is, but there is no denying that he is the catalyst.
As for the top five, well, that’s up for debate. Ewing, Walt Frazier, and Willis Reed are probably everyone’s top three at the moment. That leaves two spots. Brunson would be in the mix for them, along with Earl “The Pearl” Monroe and Dave DeBusschere. DeBusschere won two titles with the Knicks, while Monroe won one.
If Brunson, who has averaged 26.3 points, 3.4 rebounds, 6.8 assists, 0.9 steals, and 0.2 blocks per game as a Knick, can get one, too, you might be able to make a case for him to crack the top three. He has been that good. Frazier himself believes Brunson has a chance to be the greatest Knick ever.
