Bill Simmons’ Take On Jalen Brunson Resurfaces After Knicks Guard Has Monster Playoff Performance

When the New York Knicks signed Jalen Brunson to a 4-year, $104 million contact in the 2022 NBA offseason, many were unsure if it was a good use of their money. After all, Brunson had been a solid player with the Dallas Mavericks, but was more of a role player than someone expected to carry the offensive load.

Instead, his contract is now one of the best in the league, and he’s approaching superstar territory for a resurgent Knicks franchise.  After a virtuoso 47-point performance in a Knicks’ 97-92 game 4 win, old takes about Jalen Brunson’s contract are resurfacing.

One of those takes was by former ESPN columnist and The Ringer founder Bill Simmons. 

Bill Simmons, who wrote The Book of Basketball, definitely knows ball. He’s been a hoophead since he was a kid going to Celtics games with his dad. But, he missed on this take.

Brunson has absolutely been that guy for the New York Knicks. After getting snubbed from the All-Star Game last year despite averaging 24 points and nearly 7 assists a game, he came back better this year. With Julius Randle missing the entire second half of the season, Brunson had to carry the load on offense.  He did that this year, averaging 28.7 points per game on 47% shooting from the floor and 40% from deep.

And, after a miserable start to the team’s opening-round playoff series against the Sixers that saw him go 15-54 from the field before hitting a clutch three in the final 30 seconds of the Knicks’ miraculous game 2 win, he’s heated up. The Villanova product had 39 points and 13 rebounds in losing effort in game 3. In game 4, Brunson made his mark.

His 47 points is an all-time New York Knicks playoff record, and he became the first Knickerbocker to have 40+ points and 10+ assists in a playoff game in history. On a night where many of the roles players that won the first two games in the series for the Knicks struggled, it was Jalen Brunson who played like a true number-one option.

Now, the Knicks will go back to Madison Square Garden on Tuesday up 3-1 in the series with a chance to close out a series at home for the first time in decades. The Garden will surely be rocking.