“You’re gonna have a dude. You have to have a 1A dude. And they’re missing that. He too small.
“I have a philosophy: If your best player is small, you’re not winning. John Stockton, Allen Iverson, Steve Nash, you can go down the list… Steph Curry is the only—he’s in a different class.” — Becky Hammon (Dec. 2023)
Sometimes, revisionist history sucks. Sometimes, revisionist history is facts.
And these days, having just wrapped up the first week of the sixth month in the Gregorian calendar, facts tell
you Mrs. Hammon—or at the very least her take on New York Knicks point guard, captain, and franchise player Jalen Brunson—sucks.
I’m not here to retell the whole Brunson story once more—from Rick, to Mark Cuban by way of Dallas, to the Eastern Conference Finals MVP award and the current NBA Finals 2-0 lead.
We’re past that. Way past that.
See, life’s a thing of highs and lows. Brunson, in the eyes of any and every New Yorker and Knickerbocker fan, is a franchise savior. But past miseries surely played in the big-headed’s favor.
By the time Brunson arrived in Manhattan, thanks both to his connection to the Knicks organization—one that started nearly 25 years earlier—and a rekindled relationship in the summer of 2022, New York had gone through their fair share of wretchedness.
Seven trips to the playoffs in the prior 23 years, starting in 2000 and following a five-game NBA Finals loss to the San Antonio Spurs in 1999. 19 postseason wins to 33 losses. 771 regular-season wins to 1,073 losses. Six seasons above .500 to 17 with a losing record.
In the four seasons under Brunson’s guidance at the point, the Knicks have won 61.2% of their regular-season games, advanced to the conference semis twice, made the conference finals two more times and, in this the fourth year of the JB Era, finally clinched the long-chased NBA Finals berth.
Only the 94-98 Knicks and the 71-74 Knicks have put together better runs than the current Knicks. Only the latter won one title. The 2026 Knicks could match that following Brunson’s four-year run in town.
All of the above to get to the point of the article before it’s too late and I found myself having written more words about stuff unrelated to it than the actual thing.
Where does Brunson rank among New York’s all-time guards?
It’s inevitable to fall for the sugar rush these Knicks are giving us, considering Brunson the one and only man in history to save the franchise from relocating out of utter dysfunction, and crown him King Knicks Guard. Hell, even FanDuel still considers JB the favorite candidate to end up winning the NBA Finals MVP at +115 over the actual, leading MVP candidate in everybody’s mind and boxscores, Karl-Anthony Towns at +165.
Even if the Knicks end up bottling this thing and losing the Finals in hellaciously historic and astonishing fashion (spoiler: not happening), Brunson has already secured his place as one of the bona fide Knicks greats. Do a quick search, and you’ll find a million boards. Here’s one from KD’s platform, just to make the post fancier.
As things stand, there is no debate in placing at least two or three names above Brunson in the all-time leaderboard—it is obvious that nobody is touching Patrick Ewing or Clyde for starters. Keywords: As things stand.
In a matter of days, likely no later than Wednesday night, Brunson will write his name in golden letters in the history books of the New York Knicks organization.
How many players can actually say that? Not a lot. How many of them played an important role at the guard positions for the Knickerbockers while at it? Fewer, if not just a handful.
There are plenty of ways to cut straight to the chase and get rid of plenty of no-names, as great as some of them might have been. Quickest pathway? Knicks’ retired numbers, a graveyard where Brunson’s No. 11 is already destined.
That’s it, that’s the list (with the omission of coach Holzman’s No. 613).
Within that list, Frazier, Dick Barnett, Dirk McGuire, and Earl Monroe played guard throughout their careers.
No. 1 — Walt “Clyde” Frazier
Frazier spent 10 seasons with the Knicks, made seven All-Star teams, earned seven All-Defensive First Team selections, won two NBA championships for New York and ultimately made the Hall of Fame. Not only that, but he even had a game worth replaying forever in his Game 7 performance in the 1970 NBA Finals, when he put up an extraordinary 36-point, 19-assist, seven-rebound performance to send the Los Angeles Lakers packing. No debate here.
No. 2 — Earl “The Pearl” Monroe
Monroe is probably where the debate starts, as silly as that sounds. For now (now meaning before Game 3 of the 2026 NBA Finals), The Pearl remains ahead. Monroe came to New York already established as one of the league’s great guards, and he simply took his game further in Manhattan, helping the Knicks win their 1973 title. He made four All-Star teams in his career, earned a place in the Hall of Fame, and started his career by being named the 1968 Rookie of the Year. That said, he didn’t rack up trophies as Clyde did, with no real personal awards in his resume.
No. 3 — Jalen “Captain Clutch” Brunson
Consider this placement just a stopgap toward greater heights, fellas. Brunson has already led the Knicks to the NBA Finals, he’s won multiple playoff series as the franchise’s No. 1 player and offensive engine, and once and for all put an end to the long and nonsensical drought at the point guard position in New York. Yes, Brunson is not really a man for awards outside of new-era crafted titles such as Cluth Player of the Year and all this flashy stuff, but he’s already earned three All-NBA call-ups and has won something no other lead guard in NYC ever did: the NBA Cup (lol). Anyway. Two more wins this month, and I’m moving JB up to No. 2, with all due respect to the elders and path-pavers.
No. 4 and 5 — Dick Barnett & Dick McGruire
McGuire, at the very least, belongs in the conversation, having made five All-Star teams as a Knick and later joining the Hall of Fame.
The same goes for Barnett, who was more of a taker than a giver and a legit shooter more than he ever was a passer. Even then, he was a guard and he makes the top-5 cut. An All-Star nod and two titles in his resume (he only played four games in the 1973 run, though) and his near-17 PPG only second to Willis Reed’s 24 in the 1970 playoffs, are more than enough.
The Rest — Mark Jackson, Michael Ray Richardson, Derek Harper, Charlie Ward, Stephon Marbury
Action Jackson won Rookie of the Year with the Knicks in 1988, made the All-Star team in 1989, and led the league in assists later in his career. Sugar Ray made three All-Star teams with New York and led the NBA in assists and steals in 1979-80. Harper helped steady the 1990s Knicks and started on the 1994 NBA Finals team. C-Ward won the 1994 Heisman Trophy before becoming a long-term Knicks starter and part of the 1999 Finals team. Starbury stole my heart from the get-go. That’s it, that’s the reasoning there—always remember the tough days.
Where do you rank Jalen Brunson among all-time Knicks guards? Is he already a top-3 all-time Knicks, no positions considered? Let us know in the comments section below!
