NFL
By: Mark Wilson
Not every basketball player will make it to the NBA. Not every basketball player in the NBA will become an All-Star. And not every basketball player who plays for the New York Knicks will be loved. This is what newly signed Jalen Brunson has to contend with as he enters his first season with the Knicks after signing a huge $104M deal this offseason as a free agent.
To play for the Knicks takes a certain kind of toughness. We’re not talking about the rough and tumble era of the Bad Boys but just the scrutiny you must be able to handle once you don that Orange, Blue, and White uniform. The NYC mentality is just different.
Brunson earned his stripes with the Dallas Mavericks where he averaged 16.3 points last season but that Dallas market is nothing like what he’s about to face in NYC. Brunson has his work cut out for him on a few levels.
He has to prove that he’s worth the contract. Yes, the free agent market for star players is huge but they still must perform. Think about Russell Westbrook in Los Angeles. Westbrook is the triple-double king and still, he was dragged through the mud in not only the LA media but everywhere else as well.
Then he has to show everyone that the Knicks made the right choice by going after him and not ending up with Donovan Mitchell. It’s a lot of pressure to deal with in just his first season.
This is what Brunson will have to deal with on a daily basis. The New York media are hounds. If they smell fear, they’re coming for you with no remorse. As great as Carmelo Anthony was with the Knicks, they never won. As great as Patrick Ewing was in his tenure with the Knicks, they never won. For years, New York has been in search of a superstar they could call their own.
Can The Knicks Count On Brunson
And each offseason, they have fallen flat in their search. Brunson is the first star to come to Madison Square Garden in some time and truth be told, he still hasn’t reached star level. He’s a solid player but the New York media won’t care. He’s being paid a nice amount to take this team to the next level.
If he fails, he will be targeted the same way the media and fans have called for the head of Julius Randle. Remember, just two seasons ago, he was the savior. He made the All-Star team for the 2021 season but he struggled last year and those same fans praising him were now calling for his trade. Is Brunson sure he’s ready for all this?
In Dallas, the wins and losses were on the shoulders of Luka Doncic. All Brunson had to do was play the supporting role. Now, with that contract and all the hoopla that came with it, he will be looked upon as “the man” in NYC. There is no hiding. There is no one else to point the finger at. It’s all on him now.
The New York Knicks have what appears to be a solid team on paper. Leadership was a huge concern last season but that’s what signing a player to a $104M deal is supposed to do. Bring them a player with strong enough shoulders to carry the load. Oh yeah, and the criticism that comes with playing in Gotham.
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