On Tuesday, the New York Knicks announced that they’ve named Jalen Brunson as team captain. Brunson is just the fourth second-round pick to receive the honor and 36th captain in franchise history. He’s the Knicks’ first captain since Lance Thomas in 2018-19.
Jalen Brunson Named 36th Captain in Franchise History pic.twitter.com/D94U5h43JL
— NY_KnicksPR (@NY_KnicksPR) August 6, 2024
Knicks president Leon Rose released an official statement, saying:
“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.
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.”
Last season, Brunson took a star turn, becoming one of the most popular players in the league. Like many scorers, his aggressive mindset at the offensive end and his sheer skill draws in a hoard of fans. However, his ascendance is about more than aesthetically pleasing handles and highlight reel buckets.
Knicks Make Major Announcement After Jalen Brunson’s Illustrious Season
Brunson’s leadership has been pronounced.
Time and time again, he takes matters into his own hands in order to secure New York’s wins. In 2023-24, he tied then Atlanta Hawks guard Dejounte Murray for ninth in total clutch points (106) in the regular season. He ranked first in total clutch points (49) in the playoffs, with a 19-point gap between he and the player ranked second (Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving).
This was influenced by the fact that fellow All-Star, Julius Randle, was limited. Dislocating his shoulder in late January, he played just 46 games in 2023-24. Nonetheless, having both the will and ability to take over for the team cemented his status as an upper echelon player.
Rings Over Money
Brunson’s economical contract extension with the Knicks speaks to his leadership as well.
That isn’t to say teammate OG Anunoby and former teammate Isaiah Hartenstein were wrong to agree to the largest contracts they could. With the amount of money that the league makes from media contracts, they should be compensated fairly. Still, Brunson’s team-first mindset is frankly a rarity for No. 1 options, at least as far as the contracts they sign.
Clearly, his focus is on winning a championship. More importantly, he knows that he needs a strong supporting cast to do that.
