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Becky Hammon has clarified her previous comments about Jalen Brunson and now compared the New York Knicks guard to two former league MVPs. The Las Vegas Aces head coach faced criticism last December for stating that the 6-foot-2 guard was not a "1A" player the Knicks needed to win a championship.
In a segment on NBA Today, Becky Hammon compared Jalen Brunson to Allen Iverson and Steve Nash, noting how the two NBA legends, despite their shorter stature, had a significant impact on the game.
“He's a tremendous player. I love watching him. I love watching smaller guys play because they defy odds,” Hammon said of Brunson.
"Allen Iverson, Steve Nash, MVPs... they didn't win a championship. So yes, (Brunson) is your 1A—and all I was saying is that I don't think you win a championship. It's not that he's not amazing. He's amazing. So calm down, New York."
Jalen Brunson is averaging 27.7 points, 6.7 assists and 3.7 rebounds for the 35-24 Knicks.
In his first MVP season in 2004-05, Nash averaged 15.5 points, 11.5 assists and 3.3 rebounds. The following year, he averaged 18.8 points, 10.5 assists and 4.2 rebounds to clinch his second MVP award.
Iverson won the MVP award in 2000-01 after averaging 31.1 points, 4.6 assists and 3.8 rebounds.
In December, Hammon stated that the Knicks would need to acquire a bigger star than Brunson if they wanted to win a championship.
"[The Knicks are] well-coached, they're going to be on their defensive game, but at the end of the day, they don't have a dude," Hammon said on ESPN's NBA Today show. "You gotta have a dude, you gotta have a 1A dude and they're missing that at the end of the day if we're just getting down to brass taxes."
Hammon isn't the only TV personality to compare Brunson to Iverson. In January, Shaquille O'Neal also drew parallels between the Knicks guard and the former league MVP.
Woj says the Knicks organization agrees with Becky Hammon’s Jalen Brunson take
In the same segment, NBA analyst Adrian Wojnarowski mentioned that the Knicks organization supports Hammon's opinion regarding Jalen Brunson and indicated that the team is seeking to acquire a bigger star.
“The Knicks agree with (Hammon). That's not a slight on Jalen Brunson. He has transformed that organization,” he said, “But the reason the Knicks are hoarding assets, they want to—if one becomes available—get a 1st or 2nd team All-NBA level player.”
Wojnarowski suggested that the Knicks might be considering a star on the level of Nikola Jokic, Giannis Antetokounmpo and LeBron James.
“[To win] championships... you have to have one of those guys. That doesn't diminish what Brunson has meant... He is one of the great success stories in this league from a second-round pick," Wojnarowski said.
The Knicks have 11 first-round draft picks between 2024 and 2030.
Guess the Lakers players!
