The New York Knicks have a new team captain.
No, it’s not a marquee superstar who management just traded for. Neither is it a notable free agent. The Knicks recently named All-Star point guard Jalen Brunson their next team captain, amplifying the meaning of his role as their floor general.
Brunson is coming off of a career season where he averaged 28.7 points per game, finished No. 5 in MVP voting, and led a battered Knicks team to Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals in 2023-24. As a result, Knicks brass decided to reward him for his legwork, and a few of his teammates followed suit.
Julius Randle & Josh Hart showed love to their new Knicks captain Jalen Brunson
The New Jersey native was showered with congratulations from teammates Julius Randle and Josh Hart on social media for the heroic effort he put on display last year. New York Basketball on X shared an Instagram story that Randle posted, showing love to 6-2 point guard (h/t Ben Stinar of New York Knicks on SI):
Hart followed suit with a social media post of his own, saluting his longtime teammate dating back to their days at Villanova.
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Brunson will have big expectations captaining the Knicks toward a title in 2024-25
Brunson is the first Knicks player to be named captain since Lance Thomas was given the honor ahead of the 2017-18 campaign and held it until 2018-19. There have been 35 captains before the 27-year-old, including franchise legends Patrick Ewing and Willis Reed, as well as former point guards Mark Jackson, Derek Harper, and Raymond Felton.
Though the reigning All-NBA Second Team honoree usurped Randle as the franchise player in the Big Apple through his play last season, taking a selfless pay cut in his offseason contract extension elevated his stock as a leader. Next season, all eyes will be on Brunson to play like an MVP again, while dealing with a stacked roster that necessitates touches that he’ll be largely responsible for facilitating, all the while spearheading the Knicks to a deeper playoff run than they’ve seen since 1999.
Captainship is a role that Brunson has the DNA to take up and thrive in. At this point though, it may be more of a title than anything else, as the Knicks follow behind him on the floor and let him deliver when it counts.
