New York Knicks: Two Team USA Members Named “Leader” and “Best” by Teammates
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It’s no secret that the New York Knicks had a significant boost in talent in the past year. Going from a team that was in and out of the playoffs, they began to become something greater. Jalen Brunson lead the Knicks to the first second-round series in about a decade. On top of this, they got even better during the season with the addition of Josh Hart from the Portland Trailblazers.
The Athletic
Mikal Bridges of Team USA said “This is Jalen’s team,” about Brunson. Another report has also stated that Steve Kerr will “Lean” on Brunson’s natural leadership. The two of them were teammates at Villanova, and Kerr appeared to be the glue guy for Hart and Brunson while playing at Villanova. Anthony Edward has gone on record saying that Hart is “the best player on Team USA because he is the most consistent and brings amazing energy”. I could really see him being the leader of the bench in this Team USA run, I also think it will turn out great for these two Knicks players in the long run. If I had to guess, I would say Hart comes off the bench to provide much-needed energy for that Team USA squad.
Next week Hart is eligible for an extension and is expected to sign a four-year $60 million contract with the Knicks. He has gone on record during the USA camp saying that he would love to re-sign with the Knicks to continue to play with his current teammates. Many believe that Brunson is the most attractive piece the Knicks have, but I think that Hart is also a very attractive piece. Hart is willing to do the dirty work on defense to increase his teammate's strengths and allow them to attack the basket. When he was on the Knicks he was a seamless fit, able to play the two-man game with Brunson and even Immanuel Quickly.
thepeachbasket
On the other hand, Brunson has just signed arguably the best-valued NBA contract currently. Brunson should have been an all-star, one of the biggest snubs in all-star history. On top of that, he should have made an all-NBA team, at least the third with his teammate Julius Randle. Brunson is a natural-born leader, which you can tell from how he led the Mavericks during their playoff run while Luka Doncic was out with injury, and with the Knicks throughout this season. Even with all these showings, and five separate 40-plus point games throughout this season, he is still trying to prove himself. Jalen Brunson will be having an MVP-caliber season this year, with Team USA being deemed “his team” by his teammates and leading Team USA from the point guard position this will cook up something great for the future of New York.
