Jalen Brunson, now the Knicks' captain, is team's most important leader in decades
Knicks' Jalen Brunson reacts after winning Game 6 in an NBA basketball first-round playoff series against the Philadelphia 76ers, Thursday, May 2, 2024, in Philadelphia. Credit: AP/Matt Slocum
The Knicks didn’t need to name Jalen Brunson their captain.
They didn’t need to give him an official title in order to drive home something everyone already knows: Brunson is not only the most important leader on this Knicks team, he is the most important leader this franchise has had in decades.
“The New York Knicks have a deep and storied history and today we are immensely proud to add to that lineage by naming Jalen Brunson as our captain,” Knicks president Leon Rose said in a statement Tuesday. “Jalen is a natural born leader, and I am confident he will continue to represent our organization, fans, city and his teammates with the same heart, grit and class that he has displayed each and every day since he came to New York.”
Brunson is the Knicks’ first captain since Lance Thomas back in 2018-19. Lance Thomas? Yes, I know. Not all of the 36 players to have been named Knicks captains over the years are perennial All-Stars or future Hall of Famers.
Brunson, if he keeps playing the way he has the past two seasons, could very likely end up as both. Because what Brunson has done with the Knicks franchise is nothing short of a miracle.
Not only is it no longer embarrassing to be a Knicks fan, it’s really, really cool. The Knicks are both good and likable, which is something you really haven’t been able to say for the past two decades. Enter Brunson two years ago as a free agent from Dallas. Since Brunson took over at point guard, the team has gone 97-67 for their best two back-to-back seasons since 1999-2000 and 2000-01.
This past season, the 27-year-old averaged 28.7 points, 6.7 assists and 3.6 rebounds in 77 games, finished fifth in MVP voting and carried the Knicks to the second seed in the Eastern Conference.
Brunson averaged 32.4 points, 7.5 assists and 3.3 boards in 13 postseason games, which included a first-round win over the Philadelphia 76ers and then a conference semifinal loss to the Indiana Pacers. He did all this despite the fact that the Knicks were plagued by injuries to their starters all season long and in the playoffs.
Brunson’s leadership and commitment to the team, however, has transcended his play on the court.
His commitment to the team hit mind-boggling heights this offseason when he signed a four-year, $156.5 million contract extension last month, which was $113 million less guaranteed than he would be eligible to make if he signed a year from now.
What kind of athlete in this day and age gifts his team a potential $113 million in order to give them some cap savings? A guy who wants to win a title as a Knick. A guy driven enough and smart enough to know that if he somehow gets this success-starved franchise a parade down the Canyon of Heroes, he will go from great player to New York legend of Derek Jeter-like proportions.
Jeter, of course, is one of the more famous New York captains. Basketball, however, is different from baseball and other sports. Captains don’t typically wear a C on their chest like they do in the NHL. They don’t participate in a coin toss at the start of the games like they do in the NFL.
In fact, I’m not sure exactly what they do. Their job description is so murky in the NBA that a good chunk of teams do not even bother to name one.
The Knicks certainly didn’t have to, but it’s kind of cool that they did. In the past, the Knicks were a franchise that would have named a captain just so there was something to publicize that was positive and could generate hope and excitement for the upcoming season.
The Knicks no longer need to do that. Fans are pumped up for the start of the 2024-25 season. For the first time in years there is a legitimate hope that the Knicks can be title contenders.
The re-signing of OG Anunoby and the addition of Mikal Bridges have something to do with that. But the biggest reason they will be in the mix this year is the leadership of Brunson — whether or not he is wearing a C on his chest.
Barbara Barker is an award-winning columnist and features writer in the sports department at Newsday. She has covered sports in New York for more than 20 years.