New York Knicks point guard Jalen Brunson has taken the NBA by storm over the last few months. Most recently, he garnered headlines and attention for an unprecedented move he made regarding his future.
Last week, he signed a four-year, $156 million extension with the Knicks. He took immediate security and the chance to cash in when 2028 rolls around over a potential $269.1 million payday next offseason.
A lot of thinking went into Jalen Brunson’s decision to sign a deal now. It provides the Knicks with incredible flexibility, something other contenders around the NBA will not have.
Because of the new CBA rules, teams are limited when it comes to making moves with their roster if they are above the first and second aprons. Repeat defenders are punished even more harshly.
Those are issues New York should be able to avoid with Jalen Brunson setting a new precedent for star players. Mikal Bridges, who was acquired from the Brooklyn Nets in a trade earlier this offseason, will reportedly follow the same path and take a pay cut.
Seeing Jalen Brunson take considerably less money in the somewhat immediate future shocked so many people because of the level of production he now provides the team. He made his first All-Star and All-NBA team this past season, as his game is reaching superstar level.
In the postseason, he was a one-man wrecking crew as injuries decimated the Knicks’ roster. He was routinely double and triple-teamed by opponents, getting picked up 94 feet by players several inches taller and longer than him.
Despite those obstacles, he performed at an incredibly high level. High enough that NBA insider Jake Fischer now holds Jalen Brunson in an elite class of player.
During an appearance on a podcast with former NBA star Rasheed Wallace, Fischer spoke glowingly of the Knicks guard. In his opinion, Brunson is one of the best postseason performers he has ever seen.
“Jalen Brunson is the best playoff scorer that I’ve seen in person in a long time…I literally left that gym one day and I was telling people “I think he might be the best 1-on-1 scorer in the NBA…” Fischer said to Wallace
The 2023 NBA postseason was a coming out party for Jalen Brunson. The Knicks defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers in the first round before being ousted by the Miami Heat in Round 2.
He averaged 27.8 points and 5.6 assists per game, vowing that was only the beginning. Jalen Brunson was not lying, as he took his game to another level this past season.
In the regular season, he averaged 28.7 points and 6.7 assists per game. For the postseason, against the Philadelphia 76ers and Indiana Pacers, he pushed those numbers to 32.4 and 7.5.
The only thing that slowed him down were injuries. He battled a foot ailment in the first round before fracturing his hand in Game 7 against the Indiana Pacers.
His meteoric rise has changed the trajectory of this franchise. The Knicks are now bonafide contenders, as Jalen Brunson has turned into the superstar they have been seeking for years.
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