Knicks · Jalen Brunson greatest player since the goat MJ (page 1)

fitzfarm @ 8/27/2026 10:53 AM
Captain Clutch

No one can stop him he has the best footwork in the game and a game no one can stop. Same with Jordan he used the hate as fuel. There’s not a better player in the world and he might be the best person as an individual to be the goat as of right now. What a humble individual, he lets his game do the talking. He’s not flashy, not cocky.

He’s also the greatest player to root for, nothing was given to him.

He should be the face of the NBA and a person kids should to look up to.

“Be Like Mike”

Is now

“Be Like Brunson”

We have build the perfect team around him, other teams got better, but like Mike no one is going to get past playoff Brunson.

Brunson deserves his own thread.

He should be the face of the NBA

45pts in a closing championship game 5 first player to do so since… MJ


I grew up watching Ewing and always considered him the greatest Knick of all time

Now I’ve come to the realization the greatest Knick is playing for us right now.


Can’t wait till this next season and let’s see if we can repeat would be the first team to do so in over a decade.


Some people might laugh but JB is the best player I’ve seen since MJ

MaTT4281 @ 8/27/2026 12:10 PM
Brunson has the aura needed to thrive in NY. Always even keeled and professional - doesn't let the lows impact his performance, doesn't let the celebrity of it carry him away. Jeter had it. Eli had it. That's why Jalen is the Captain!

He's definitely climbed multiple tiers since coming to NY.

Philc1 @ 8/27/2026 1:59 PM
with u bro
Nalod @ 8/27/2026 2:03 PM
Greatest knick ever was Willis Reed. Regular Season MVP and Two MVP chips. One might argue Clyde for many good reasons.

Make no bones about it that Jalen is knick royalty whose number will hang from the rafters and will one day be inducted into the Basketball HOF.
Make two in a row and he will for sure be in rare air. Love this guy and if knicks can win 60 games and Wemby don't, perhaps close as it may be Jalen could get an MVP!

Recent bias and seeing the world in orange and blue color glasses is a wonderful thing. Jalen is likable on and off the court and a great testament to hard work and preserverence! Love this guy.

But........Semantics aside the greatest since MJ? Just off the top of my bald head I'd have to put guys with more than one MVP since Jordan and has Finals MVP, as well as one or more ring:

Durant
Jokic
Shai
Giannis
That Curry kid
Kobe

Now, im not saying one has to like any of these guys and lord knows Durant, Kobe and Lebron have their detractors but can't deny the validity of their careers. Kobe has but one MVP but the 4 rings with 2 Finals MVP has to weigh in.

Jalen's career still has years to go and perhaps he moves up the ladder in many ways. By itself his playoff performance ranks as one of the greatest of all time and by no means take his stature or what he has done for granted. He has earned a place in the conversation. Ahead of MVP Dirk and KG. For sure ahead of chipless Westbrook and Harden whom both do have MVP.

fitzfarm @ 8/27/2026 3:57 PM
Nalod wrote:Greatest knick ever was Willis Reed. Regular Season MVP and Two MVP chips. One might argue Clyde for many good reasons.

Make no bones about it that Jalen is knick royalty whose number will hang from the rafters and will one day be inducted into the Basketball HOF.
Make two in a row and he will for sure be in rare air. Love this guy and if knicks can win 60 games and Wemby don't, perhaps close as it may be Jalen could get an MVP!

Recent bias and seeing the world in orange and blue color glasses is a wonderful thing. Jalen is likable on and off the court and a great testament to hard work and preserverence! Love this guy.

But........Semantics aside the greatest since MJ? Just off the top of my bald head I'd have to put guys with more than one MVP since Jordan and has Finals MVP, as well as one or more ring:

Durant
Jokic
Shai
Giannis
That Curry kid
Kobe

Now, im not saying one has to like any of these guys and lord knows Durant, Kobe and Lebron have their detractors but can't deny the validity of their careers. Kobe has but one MVP but the 4 rings with 2 Finals MVP has to weigh in.

Jalen's career still has years to go and perhaps he moves up the ladder in many ways. By itself his playoff performance ranks as one of the greatest of all time and by no means take his stature or what he has done for granted. He has earned a place in the conversation. Ahead of MVP Dirk and KG. For sure ahead of chipless Westbrook and Harden whom both do have MVP.

I wasn’t around for Willis but my dad speaks fondly of how good He was and Frazier… what a travesty it was that we couldn’t get Ewing a ring as a player I still remember Charles smith missing those layups .Stark's throwing up bricks vs the rockets .

If only we had a competent GM back then to build a better team around him . Ewing was a shell of himself by the time we had spree, Houston and Camby

I still think if he didn’t get hurt we would have put up a better fight in 99. Camby would have shut down young Duncan . Ewing always was more talented than David Robinson.

Our 27 year revenge was sweet !

When it comes to Brunson being the closest player to dominating like MJ that’s In my opinion he’s the most dominant winner I’ve seen since MJ . It’s like in the 90’s there were more talented teams than the bulls but they didn’t have jordan… I think we will see the same thing with Brunson. Phillys got better but at the end of the day they still don’t have Brunson or the depth/chemistry we have .

At the end of the day the more I think about it the more I think we are in for a dynasty with JB !

Also JB should have been considered for this past MVP total robbery because of flopping SGA . But this team didn’t tap into its full potential till game 4 vs the hawks as soon as that happened the Knicks are now every other teams worst nightmare and we are just getting started!

Nalod @ 8/27/2026 4:19 PM
Fitz, not gonna ruin your happy day!
Enjoy the afterglow!
BigDaddyG @ 8/27/2026 5:51 PM
One of the more grounded takes on this forum. It wasn't that long ago when someone suggested RJ Barret was the next Kobe.
ramtour420 @ 8/27/2026 6:26 PM
I wholeheartedly agree. Brunson is serious as a heart attack. Mike had it, so did Kobe.
Knixkik @ 8/27/2026 8:55 PM
Brunson is cut from that cloth. Probably the greatest winner, clutch performer, and playoff performer since MJ for sure.
martin @ 8/27/2026 11:34 PM
The accomplishments speak for themselves

Knixkik @ 8/28/2026 10:16 AM
martin wrote:The accomplishments speak for themselves

This is why I don’t get how Brunson still isn’t considered a hall of fame guaranteed right now. Bill Walton had basically 2 great years and still got in because of these accomplishments. Brunson is literally a top-5 winning player of all-time, as this list shows. Obviously he’s going to get in someday, but I put him firmly ahead of the many great guards of this generation who have not won at every level. Westbrook, Lillard, Harden, Kyrie etc. Brunson is simply in another category in terms of leading teams to the promise land.

martin @ 8/28/2026 10:20 AM
MaTT4281 @ 8/28/2026 11:12 AM
Not that the Max Kellerman endorsement means much, but timely.

https://www.yahoo.com/sports/articles/ma...

Max Kellerman Picks Jalen Brunson Over Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: “He’s More Valuable”

"So here, here's the best real-world experiment this past season. And I'm going to say something SGA fans aren't going to like, because SGA is a better defender and dah, dah, dah, dah, dah.

Here we have an almost perfect real-world experiment. Are there things you're going to be able to say? 'Oh, it's because they're on different teams.' Nothing's perfect. It's not in the laboratory, but this is pretty close.

SGA and Jalen Brunson play the same position, right? Modern NBA pick-and-roll point guard, the whole stuff. Foul-baiting point guards. Jalen Brunson does it too.

Obviously, they both played the same team. There were no major injuries between the Western Conference Finals and the Finals. It was the same team. They deployed the same resources to stop that guy. Same defenders, same defensive scheme.

A lot of the time, it worked on SGA throughout the series. He was not able to overcome the Spurs' defense in tight games and very competitive series. And SGA is a great player.

Of course, they did it to Brunson, and it worked the first two games. Brunson's offense was not efficient the first couple of games, but because Brunson is better than SGA, meaning he's more valuable than SGA, he was able to make adjustments.

Look, it's not like the Knicks blew them out every game. They had to come back basically every game. Yeah, at least two or three. They definitely had to come back because Jalen Brunson's basketball brain is working overtime, reading and reacting, you know, doing what he had to do to bring his team."

Nalod @ 8/28/2026 1:44 PM
Knixkik wrote:
martin wrote:The accomplishments speak for themselves

This is why I don’t get how Brunson still isn’t considered a hall of fame guaranteed right now. Bill Walton had basically 2 great years and still got in because of these accomplishments. Brunson is literally a top-5 winning player of all-time, as this list shows. Obviously he’s going to get in someday, but I put him firmly ahead of the many great guards of this generation who have not won at every level. Westbrook, Lillard, Harden, Kyrie etc. Brunson is simply in another category in terms of leading teams to the promise land.

I have talk about this the last few years and noted his accomplishments when he first got here.
His college career set the table. series and MVP I believe seals it.

as for Walton, take off those Orange and BLue glasses and be objective:
Walton in college:

NCAA Championships: Won back-to-back national titles in 1972 and 1973.Final Four MOP: Named the NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player in 1972 and 1973.National Player of the Year: Won the Naismith Award and other major POY honors three consecutive years (1972–1974).Iconic Performance: Scored 44 points on 21-of-22 shooting in the 1973 national championship game against Memphis State.


Walton was a league MVP. Walton at age 33 was 6th man of the year and he won a second title with Boston. His injuries cost him 3 full seasons and really denied him his true place in history. He was that good. He had it all including great passing acumen.

Few college careers trump Jalens, but Waltons does. 3x player of the year. Recall players did not play on varsity as freshman back then.

as for playoff series goats? one might consider Lebrons 2016 where he about singlehandedly took care of a very great GSW team! Quality of oppenent does matter. That GSW team was considerable! I get the recent and fan bias and Lebron is not universally loved.

Does that dilute Jalens performance and place in history? No. His resume lacks the MVP to be honest, he had great season but not all time great. What was what he did in the playoffs! IT was fucking amazing, he punched the ticket to HOF. Criminal he was denied spot on last olympic team. His career is still being measured so he can climb that ladder still.

He deserves to be in any conversation fans want. Might not be totally accurate but if it makes you happy enjoy it!

Philc1 @ 8/28/2026 2:45 PM
MaTT4281 wrote:Not that the Max Kellerman endorsement means much, but timely.

https://www.yahoo.com/sports/articles/ma...

Max Kellerman Picks Jalen Brunson Over Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: “He’s More Valuable”

"So here, here's the best real-world experiment this past season. And I'm going to say something SGA fans aren't going to like, because SGA is a better defender and dah, dah, dah, dah, dah.

Here we have an almost perfect real-world experiment. Are there things you're going to be able to say? 'Oh, it's because they're on different teams.' Nothing's perfect. It's not in the laboratory, but this is pretty close.

SGA and Jalen Brunson play the same position, right? Modern NBA pick-and-roll point guard, the whole stuff. Foul-baiting point guards. Jalen Brunson does it too.

Obviously, they both played the same team. There were no major injuries between the Western Conference Finals and the Finals. It was the same team. They deployed the same resources to stop that guy. Same defenders, same defensive scheme.

A lot of the time, it worked on SGA throughout the series. He was not able to overcome the Spurs' defense in tight games and very competitive series. And SGA is a great player.

Of course, they did it to Brunson, and it worked the first two games. Brunson's offense was not efficient the first couple of games, but because Brunson is better than SGA, meaning he's more valuable than SGA, he was able to make adjustments.

Look, it's not like the Knicks blew them out every game. They had to come back basically every game. Yeah, at least two or three. They definitely had to come back because Jalen Brunson's basketball brain is working overtime, reading and reacting, you know, doing what he had to do to bring his team."

You’re right Max Kellerman’s endorsement doesn’t mean much.

Panos @ 8/28/2026 5:38 PM
Nalod wrote:
Knixkik wrote:
martin wrote:The accomplishments speak for themselves

This is why I don’t get how Brunson still isn’t considered a hall of fame guaranteed right now. Bill Walton had basically 2 great years and still got in because of these accomplishments. Brunson is literally a top-5 winning player of all-time, as this list shows. Obviously he’s going to get in someday, but I put him firmly ahead of the many great guards of this generation who have not won at every level. Westbrook, Lillard, Harden, Kyrie etc. Brunson is simply in another category in terms of leading teams to the promise land.

I have talk about this the last few years and noted his accomplishments when he first got here.
His college career set the table. series and MVP I believe seals it.

as for Walton, take off those Orange and BLue glasses and be objective:
Walton in college:

NCAA Championships: Won back-to-back national titles in 1972 and 1973.Final Four MOP: Named the NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player in 1972 and 1973.National Player of the Year: Won the Naismith Award and other major POY honors three consecutive years (1972–1974).Iconic Performance: Scored 44 points on 21-of-22 shooting in the 1973 national championship game against Memphis State.


Walton was a league MVP. Walton at age 33 was 6th man of the year and he won a second title with Boston. His injuries cost him 3 full seasons and really denied him his true place in history. He was that good. He had it all including great passing acumen.

Few college careers trump Jalens, but Waltons does. 3x player of the year. Recall players did not play on varsity as freshman back then.

as for playoff series goats? one might consider Lebrons 2016 where he about singlehandedly took care of a very great GSW team! Quality of oppenent does matter. That GSW team was considerable! I get the recent and fan bias and Lebron is not universally loved.

Does that dilute Jalens performance and place in history? No. His resume lacks the MVP to be honest, he had great season but not all time great. What was what he did in the playoffs! IT was fucking amazing, he punched the ticket to HOF. Criminal he was denied spot on last olympic team. His career is still being measured so he can climb that ladder still.

He deserves to be in any conversation fans want. Might not be totally accurate but if it makes you happy enjoy it!

Nevermind if he's the best since Jordan
If you search the internet for PG rankings going into 2026-27, some still rank JB 4th: https://www.hoopshype.com/story/sports/n...
After SGA, Luka and Cunningham. OK - SGA won a championship too. Doncic hasn't. And Cunningham ain't won shit.
What's good about this, is I think JB will still come in with a chip on his shoulder to be even better and prove he's even better than he's shown.

Nalod @ 8/28/2026 11:03 PM
JB don't need to be measured vs Jordan or Walton. He did his owtn thing and how history treats his place remains to be seen.
The carved their Legacy's and Jalen is doing his.
martin @ 8/29/2026 6:38 PM
martin @ 8/29/2026 9:17 PM
NYKBocker @ 8/30/2026 2:53 PM
Big Body Brunson is one of one. Knicks in 5!
foosballnick @ 8/31/2026 11:23 AM
Nalod wrote:
Knixkik wrote:
martin wrote:The accomplishments speak for themselves

This is why I don’t get how Brunson still isn’t considered a hall of fame guaranteed right now. Bill Walton had basically 2 great years and still got in because of these accomplishments. Brunson is literally a top-5 winning player of all-time, as this list shows. Obviously he’s going to get in someday, but I put him firmly ahead of the many great guards of this generation who have not won at every level. Westbrook, Lillard, Harden, Kyrie etc. Brunson is simply in another category in terms of leading teams to the promise land.

I have talk about this the last few years and noted his accomplishments when he first got here.
His college career set the table. series and MVP I believe seals it.

as for Walton, take off those Orange and BLue glasses and be objective:
Walton in college:

NCAA Championships: Won back-to-back national titles in 1972 and 1973.Final Four MOP: Named the NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player in 1972 and 1973.National Player of the Year: Won the Naismith Award and other major POY honors three consecutive years (1972–1974).Iconic Performance: Scored 44 points on 21-of-22 shooting in the 1973 national championship game against Memphis State.


Walton was a league MVP. Walton at age 33 was 6th man of the year and he won a second title with Boston. His injuries cost him 3 full seasons and really denied him his true place in history. He was that good. He had it all including great passing acumen.

Few college careers trump Jalens, but Waltons does. 3x player of the year. Recall players did not play on varsity as freshman back then.

as for playoff series goats? one might consider Lebrons 2016 where he about singlehandedly took care of a very great GSW team! Quality of oppenent does matter. That GSW team was considerable! I get the recent and fan bias and Lebron is not universally loved.

Does that dilute Jalens performance and place in history? No. His resume lacks the MVP to be honest, he had great season but not all time great. What was what he did in the playoffs! IT was fucking amazing, he punched the ticket to HOF. Criminal he was denied spot on last olympic team. His career is still being measured so he can climb that ladder still.

He deserves to be in any conversation fans want. Might not be totally accurate but if it makes you happy enjoy it!


IMO MVP has become very narrative driven in recent years. Prior to 1979 it was voted on by the players. Currently the MVP voting system is based on a panel of Broadcaster, Sportswriters and Fan Votes. Because of that there is a certain amount of influence/bias built in due to narratives etc. For instance Clutchpoints did a media survey for 2025-26 MVP and Brunson had minimal points- even Durant finished ahead of him.

While not impossible, Brunson as MVP of the Regular Season is likely improbable. In recent years the same guys seem to top the list (Giannis, Jokic, Shai, w/Tatum and Elmbid prior to injury. Brunson made the Top 5 in 2023-24 - but fell to one sole overall point in 2024-25 and was not even on the board this past season. Consider that Wemby made the list last season (Top 3) and will likely be the next appointed great one. Cade is also waiting in the wings (Top 4 MVP votes last season).

Brunson is our guy in NY and similar to MJ and Kobe - has that "winner" gene built into his brain. Unfortunately this may never translate into an MVP.....but still he will walk among the greats who have ever played at the Mecca.

Also....just my opinion......all things considered...the best big man to play for the Knicks was Ewing. Reed had the luxury of playing with 3 Hall of Famers for the 1970 Championship and then a whopping 6 Hall of Famers for the 1973 Chip. Not sure if I missed anyone but by my count - Ewing in his entire career only played with 2 HOF level players. An aging Mo Cheeks and Doc Rivers.....both for fairly short stays on the Knicks roster. This IMO was the Knicks biggest error.....not surrounding Ewing with one or two other star caliber players at that level and for a sustained period of time.

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