Becky Hammon is obviously a basketball savant. She is a six-time WNBA All-Star, the first woman to hold an NBA coaching staff position, and the current head coach of the Las Vegas Aces. Still, Hammon couldn’t have been more wrong in her assessment of Jalen Brunson last week.

What happened?

On NBA Today on ESPN, Hammon recently said Brunson wasn’t “that dude”, claiming that the Knicks won’t become an elite team without adding a superstar.

“They don’t have enough personnel, they don’t have the manpower that they need to hang with those guys,” Hammon said. “I think you’re going to get a consistent team like they’ve been, they’re a pretty good team.”

“They’re, they’re well-coached, they’re going to be on their defensive game, but at the end of the day, they don’t have a dude. You gotta have a dude, you gotta have a 1A dude and they’re missing that at the end of the day if we’re just getting down to brass tacks.”

So, to summarize Hammon’s message — Jalen Brunson is not a “1A” superstar. 

Who qualifies as a 1A player?

Let’s first discuss who qualified as an unquestionable 1A. Certainly, Jason Tatum, Joel Embiid, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Nikola Jokic, Luka Doncic, and Ja Morant.

But how would Tatum do without Jaylen Brown? How did Antetokounmpo do without Lillard (or Jrue Holiday before him)? What about Jokic and Murray, or Embiid and Tyrese Maxey, or Doncic and Kyrie Irving, or Morant and Jackson Jr. Notice anything? They all have All-Star running mates.

Furthermore, are those six the only ones? Probably not, since Hammon singled out Steph Curry when referencing smaller 1As. But would Hammon call Kevin Durant a 1A? Remember, Durant and Irving signed with Brooklyn together in 2019, never made it to the Eastern Conference Finals, and requested a trade.

Kawhi Leonard and Paul George both signed with the Los Angeles Clippers — also together — in 2019 and (thus far) failed to make a single NBA Finals appearance. All four of those guys were regarded as leading stars in 2019. Does it hurt their case that they had each other, respectively, and failed? 

What about someone like Trae Young. He’s underperformed this season, and his Atlanta Hawks are struggling, as a result. What about Doncic, given that the Mavericks missed the playoffs last year. Does he officially qualify as a 1A? 

Point being, labels and reality aren’t always perfectly aligned. And ultimately, winning a championship is the goal. Therefore, if you win (and especially for a New York franchise that hasn’t won a championship in more than 50 years), isn’t that the point?

Jalen Brunson’s case for 1A

 

Now, let’s discuss Monday's game against the Milwaukee Bucks. The Knicks defeated the Bucks 129-122 behind a brilliant performance from Brunson. Brunson scored 38 points on 58% shooting from the field. He also collected six assists and 0 turnovers. ZERO. Specifically, Brunson has performed brilliantly against the Bucks and All-NBA point guard Damian Lillard this season, averaging 36 points and 6 assists across four games.

Furthermore, the sixth-year, 27 year-old point guard has exceeded all expectations since leaving Doncic and the Mavericks two off-seasons ago. He was the best player on a 47-35 Knicks team last season. He led that team out of the first round for the first time in 10 years. And he’s leading New York once again this season, captaining a 17-12 start.

What more can one player do? He (along with Tom Thibodeau and Leon Rose) has renovated the Knicks’ culture, made them a free agent destination, and changed the team’s perceived trajectory.

Ultimately, the point is that no one leads a team on his own. Success requires a strong rotation, shooting, defense, and support. Yes, the star gets most of the national spotlight, but it’s quite clear that winning requires more than just one star — 1A or not.

And the final word on Brunson won’t be written until he’s hung up his sneakers. But mark my words — if Brunson wins a championship in New York, he will be remembered fondly as a winner, and that’s what matters.

So, maybe Brunson isn’t Steph Curry. Or Luka Doncic. But he is Jalen Brunson — and that’s resulted in more optimism in New York than anytime in the recent past.