Miller Times has proposed an intriguing…and potentially polarizing…theory about Jalen Brunson’s cut-price contract extension with the New York Knicks.
Speaking on DraftKings Network’s “Forgotten Seasons” web series, former NBA point guard Andre Miller became the latest basketball mind to weigh in on Brunson’s new contract, which will keep the Knicks nine figures in their pockets thanks to its immediate nature.
There’s no doubt Brunson has earned every dollar and hopes to keep the Knicks’ current core, which also includes three other Villanova University alums, together, but Miller’s assumption may be a bit uncomfortable as to who has fully bought into the point guard’s superstar stock.
“There’s probably a reason for that,” Miller theorized. “This year, he’s hit a major peak and he’s carried a lot of the load. With a body like that, is he the kind of player he thinks he can do that all the time? Because guess what? That’s what people are going to expect.”
“In his mind, he’s probably thinking, ‘You know what, I can’t stay here, do this all the time. I need my Julius Randle, I need my Mikal Bridges, I need all these guys.’ I was really able to find the zone and carry it. But you could see how tired he was and how he felt afterward.”
In Miller’s words, Brunson carried the brunt of the Knicks’ efforts when several big names (e.g. Randle) were forced to go on extended injured reserve. He set career highs in nearly every major statistical category and earned a first-time All-Star and All-NBA nomination. Under Brunson, the Knicks won 50 games and earned a second-place finish in the Eastern Conference playoffs, reaching both playoff spots for the first time in over a decade.
Miller, the NBA’s leading passer after the 2001-02 season and now head coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers’ G League affiliate in Grand Rapids, left an opening for Brunson to achieve modern immortality.
“If he can replicate what he did last season,” Miller said. “Then I put him in the megastar category.”
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