When the New York Knicks signed Jalen Brunson to a four-year, $104 million contract in the summer of 2022, most NBA fans did not think he would develop into one of the best Knicks players of all time. Yet, less than two years later, Brunson has already blown whatever expectations fans had for him when he joined the Knicks out of the water. He has single-handedly turned the Knicks into one of the best teams in the NBA’s Eastern Conference and has them on the verge of making a deep run in the 2024 NBA Playoffs.
It is still too early to tell whether or not Brunson will go down as one of the all-time great Knicks. But we are having fun keeping up with what he is doing in the Big Apple right now, and after reading through this Overtime Heroics’ Betfred review and finding odds for the New York Knicks games, you might want to get in on the action by placing wagers on Brunson and his teammates during the postseason. He is showing that he has the potential to join a list of very special players who have suited up in royal blue and orange.
When younger NBA fans think about the best Knicks players ever, Carmelo Anthony is no doubt one of the first names that comes to mind. He spent seven seasons playing in Madison Square Garden, averaging 24.7 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 3.2 assists during that stretch.
Despite Carmelo’s heroics while playing for his hometown team, though, he was not able to surpass some of the incredible stats that Patrick Ewing put up while playing for the Knicks. Ewing holds many Knicks records (including games played, minutes played, field goals, blocks per game, and more!), and if not for some guy named Michael Jordan, he may have won multiple NBA titles while with the Knicks.
Speaking of National Basketball Association titles, there are not too many Knicks players who have won them, as the team has won the championship just twice in 1970 and 1973. But the great Walt Frazier and the legendary Willis Reed each have two rings from their time with the Knicks, and you cannot make a list of the New York Knicks’ best players without them.
You also cannot make a list of the best New York Knicks players ever without including Earl “The Pearl” Monroe on it. Unfortunately, he only won one ring in 1973 with the team, but he spent 14 seasons in NYC, averaging almost 20 points per game and eventually going down as one of the best NBA players period, both inside and outside of New York.
If our list of the best New York Knicks players of all time ended here, the Knicks would have a collection of amazing players solidifying them as one of the best franchises in NBA history. But we have not even mentioned guys like Bernard King, Dave DeBusschere, Allan Houston, Bill Bradley, Charles Oakley, and…well, we think you get the point.
One day, Jalen Brunson might earn his spot on this list. After going through it, he has a tall mountain to climb for a guy who stands just 6-foot-2. But if his first two seasons with the Knicks are any indication, he is a player who will be up for the challenge and could make his mark in the Big Apple.
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