Knicks' Jalen Brunson draws Steph Curry comparisons from Golden State coach Steve Kerr
Jalen Brunson of the Knicks passes the ball in the second half against the Philadelphia 76ers at Madison Square Garden on Feb. 26. Credit: Jim McIsaac
Steph Curry limped into Madison Square Garden Tuesday evening, still showing the effects of the ankle injury he suffered Monday in Charlotte. But the question of whether he would be on the floor at game time was enough to elicit a laugh from his coach.
"One trip to the Garden,” Steve Kerr said with a smile. “Pretty sure he’s going to do everything possible to play. He also knows he can’t do anything silly.”
For Curry, it means one more chance to put on a show in the spotlight of the Garden, chances that a player begins to count down and treasure as they grow in years. So he seemed to shake off the limp and put on his usual pregame show with the seats around the court already filled with cameras and recorders focused on him.
But for Curry, in the moment, it’s more than just his traveling road show of crazy shot-making.
Just like Jalen Brunson for the Knicks, Curry is the stabilizing force for Golden State, a role he has embraced in a quiet manner for years and through numerous incarnations of the roster.
Kerr, who coached Brunson with Team USA in the World Cup two years ago, sees similar traits among the two.
“I can see why he was rated so highly,” Kerr said. “We coached him in the World Cup. He’s got a great combination, similar to Steph, a good combination of confidence and humility. Everyone likes him on a personal level because he’s very down to earth and just a normal guy. But, if a game comes down to it, he wants the ball in his hands. He’s gonna take over and I think teammates love that kind of guy.
“So there’s a reason Jalen is who he is. He wasn’t a high pick. He doesn’t have that prototypical size and leaping ability, all that stuff, but he’s a fierce competitor and really, really skilled.”
The task for Brunson took on an added level of difficulty Tuesday as the Knicks were without Karl-Anthony Towns, who was not with the team for personal reasons. Mitchell Robinson, on a minutes limit, had just two games and 25 minutes under his belt since returning from nearly 10 months on the sidelines rehabilitating from his second ankle surgery.
But if the scoring load might be more on his shoulders, the task as the leader — whether it means taking over in the late moments of tight games, as he has on a regular basis, or setting the tone, Brunson has ascended to levels that, perhaps like the slightly-built Curry, might never have been anticipated for him.
“Just what he does by example,” Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said. “He’s not a rah rah guy. It’s what he does each and every day. I think that’s the best type of leadership you can have, just doing the right thing. How you get ready to play each game, how you play in each game, how you approach the day, how you approach the season; there’s no short cuts with him and it shows. What you see in games is the way he practices.”
Since Kerr coached him with Team USA, Brunson has continued to rise - earning All-NBA honors last season and finishing fifth in the MVP balloting. This season, he was named an All-Star starter for the first time.
“To me, we played against Dallas in the ’22 West Finals and he was obviously a really good player at that point,” Kerr said. “When he left Dallas and came here it just seemed like he took on a different role, responsibility, became the guy, and embraced it immediately. In New York that’s pretty impressive, for a team and a city that was desperate for success with the Knicks. So it’s just the responsibility that he shoulders, and then building on his game and getting better and better. I don’t think there was necessarily a big change from USA basketball. To me, he took that leap when he got to New York.
“Last year, we came in here and had a good game, got off to a great start, and we defended [Brunson] pretty well. And then, I think three weeks later at Chase, he came out and just torched us, had [34]. So we know what kind of competitor he is. It’s more about how ready we are to fight, and are we locked in from the start? We know they’re a hell of team, 40-20, pretty big-time record.”
Notes & Quotes: Thibodeau said he was uncertain if Towns would be with the team for the flight to Los Angeles to start a five-game, 11-night trip. … The Knicks added Anton Watson, who was waived by Boston this week, on a two-way contract. They still have one standard contract spot available.
Steve Popper covers the Knicks for Newsday. He has spent nearly three decades covering the Knicks and the NBA, along with just about every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.
