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Jalen Brunson has been on fire this season, serving as a key piece to the New York Knicks' success. In his second year under coach Tom Thibodeau, Brunson has taken his game to the next level, averaging a career-high 27.1 points, 3.9 rebounds and 6.4 assists per game. Thanks to some jaw-dropping performances this season, Brunson earned his first All-Star selection.
In addition, with the absences of Mitchell Robinson and Julius Randle, Brunson has managed to keep the Knicks going strong. The team is currently on a nine-game win streak that now sees them just half a game behind second place in the East.
Given his contributions, and the team's position in the standings, the NBA community has continued to discuss his play. At the same time, there has been plenty of talk regarding his place among the best players in the league.
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Recently former NBA three-point champion Tim Legler picked Jalen Brunson over Jayson Tatum when discussing players who deliver in big moments on his All-NBA show. The comments naturally generated plenty of discussion regarding the take, and whether Tatum was being disrespected.
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"Tell me which of the guys I'm going to mention. You buy into more in a big spot to absolutely deliver when you have to have it in a big game, big moment than Jalen Brunson. Yeah, there's some surprising names in here that I would say Brunson over. That's how convinced I am about this guy's big game ability."
"He's a bad motherf****r" - Shaq praises Jalen Brunson amid impressive season
There has been quite a bit of debate surrounding whether or not Jalen Brunson can successfully end the Knicks' championship drought. As many have continued to point out, it isn't often that a guard is able to successfully lead a team to a title.
The two exceptions that many have continued to point to while refuting this theory are Allen Iverson and Steph Curry. In the case of Iverson, although he was able to will the Philadelphia 76ers to a Finals berth, he was unable to win the team a title.
On the flip side, Steph Curry shines as the poster-boy for what an impactful guard can do. Throughout the Golden State Warriors' four titles, Curry has repeatedly delivered. As Shaquille O'Neal recently explained on a recent episode of Inside the NBA, he is incredibly impressed by Brunson.
“He's a bad motherf*****. haven't seen a small guy do whatever he wants to do since Allen Iverson."
While Julius Randle will be sidelined until after the All-Star break, Brunson's production seems eager to keep the Knicks in a good spot in the East. With just half a game separating them and the fourth-place Cavaliers, a top-three playoff spot would only further Brunson's case as a true star.
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