Analyst Makes Dire Declaration For Knicks Star

Et tu, Perk? New York Knicks fans may be asking after Kendrick Perkins’ latest analysis of point guard/captain Jalen Brunson.

The former NBA center-turned-ESPN analyst has been one of the most consistent defenders of the modern Knicks, but is among the many disappointed by the team’s relatively slow start to the 2024-25 season.

Perkins placed part of the blame on Brunson, offering a dire analysis on Friday’s edition of “NBA Today.”

“Last year, Jalen Brunson was in my eyes the best player in the Eastern Conference … This year he’s not even top 15 player in the Eastern Conference,” Perkins said (h/t New York Basketball on X). “That’s where the bar gets set and the expectations for him. Now, when you think about Big Body Brunson, he got his name because he delivered when it matters the most. Right now, he’s 29th in the league in fourth quarter points.”

New York (4-4) is placed third in the ridiculously early Eastern Conference playoff bracket, but critics expected more after the team obtained both Mikal Bridges and Karl-Anthony Towns over the offseason.

To Perkins’ point, most of Brunson’s major stats have taken dips this season, and he noted he also had yet to attain a 10-assist game so far this year. Brunson is still averaging 24.0 points and 6.1 assists, though those trail last year’s respective tallies of 28.7 and 6.7. The 28-year-old averaged 6.7 points in the fourth quarter last year, good for the eighth-best output in the regular season.

Brunson must have been watching “NBA Today”, because he put forth one of his most spirited efforts of the season on Friday night when the Milwaukee Bucks came to visit: after starting 2-for-9 from the field, Brunson hit all but one of his final five attempts en route to 15 points. He also had nine assists as the Knicks basked the Bucks by a 116-94 final.

Even after a strong showing, Brunson expressed dissatisfaction with his seasonal output to date.

“My mentality has to be better,” Brunson said, per Zach Braziller of the New York Post. “I haven’t been satisfied individually with how I’ve been playing, but we won. That’s all I care about, and we just move on from there.” 

It appears that Perkins couldn’t stay mad at Brunson for long: responding to a video of Brunson’s comments, the 2008 NBA champion labeled the captain a “True Leader!!!” in a Friday night X post.

Brunson’s next chance to build momentum lands on Sunday late afternoon when the Knicks face the Indiana Pacers on the road (5 p.m. ET, MSG).

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