Why Jalen Brunson's New Role With the New York Knicks for 2024-25 is Historic
Why Jalen Brunson's New Role With the New York Knicks for 2024-25 is Historic
By Jordan Samar August 07, 2024 04:48
The New York Knicks recently announced that Jalen Brunson will be the designated captain for next season.
Since arriving in the summer of 2022 as a free agent, Jalen Brunson quickly emerged as one of the team's leaders. The 27-year-old guard will be the 36th captain in franchise history, and the first since Lance Thomas in 2018-19.
Last season, Jalen Brunson averaged career-highs in points (28.7) and assists (6.7) per game in 77 regular season games, and he also finished fifth in MVP voting.
He was able to kick things up a notch during their playoff run, averaging 32.4 points and 7.5 assists per game. In four straight playoff games, Brunson also became the fourth player in NBA history to drop at least 40 points.
Jalen Brunson has led the New York Knicks to consecutive trips to the Eastern Conference semis after the team went nine years without progressing past the first round.
Jalen Brunson praised for taking a huge pay cut to aid the New York Knicks
Jalen Brunson further ingratiated himself to the fans in New York for taking a significantly lesser deal earlier this summer.
The one-time NBA All-Star was eligible for a five-year, $269.1 million contract if he waited to sign until next offseason. But instead, he decided to sign a four-year, $156.6 million extension, which was $113 million less than what he deserved.
New York Knicks teammate Josh Hart said on his X (formerly known as Twitter) that the team should build Brunson a statue down the road for making the huge financial sacrifice.