To say that Jalen Brunson has been a worthwhile signing for the New York Knicks would be a complete understatement at this point. Brunson has been killing it since his big-money move to The Big Apple this past summer, and for once in a very long time, the Knicks can confidently say that they made the absolute right decision in signing Brunson to a $104 million, four-year deal in the offseason.
Charles Barkley totally agrees with this notion. In fact, the Hall of Famer had some GOAT-level praise for Brunson, while also noting how Luka Doncic played a key role in Jalen's emergence as a bona fide star in New York:
“We didn't even know Jalen Brunson could do that until Luka got hurt,” Barkley said. “… Jalen Brunson is probably one of the best free agent pickups in NBA history… What he's done this year is historical.”
For starters, let's just take a moment to process Charles Barkley's bold statement on Brunson being one of the greatest free-agent signings of all time. The Knicks guard has been absolutely outstanding this season, but more than a few folks out there would probably question Barkley's declaration here — including his NBA on TNT co-hosts.
What's hard to deny, however, is Barkley's estimation of Luka Doncic's role in Brunson's rise. When the Dallas Mavericks superstar went down with an injury last season, Brunson took the opportunity to show what he could do. It paid off for him handsomely, and he has since reaped the benefits of the same:
“We didn't know Jalen Brunson was this good of a player. Nobody thought that,” Barkley continued. “Everybody thought going into the season (that) he got overpaid. And when did he shine? When Luka got hurt. That's when he shined — in the playoffs. … When Luka got hurt, he showed what he can do. ”
"Jalen Brunson is probably one of the best free agent pickups in NBA history… What he's done this year is historical."
Agree with Charles Barkley? 🤔pic.twitter.com/5vwSmBuQZJ
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) March 3, 2023
It's never good to see anyone get hurt, but as in the case of Jalen Brunson, there's always a silver lining to these instances. For his part, Brunson took full advantage of Luka's injury last season and hasn't looked back since.
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