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Knicks' Jalen Brunson

Former NBA Champion Danny Green made a bold claim that the New York Knicks have locker room issues over Jalen Brunson’s role. Green did an interview ahead of the NBA Playoffs and gave some commentary on why he doesn’t believe in the Knicks going too far. Brunson’s usage running the offense was called out by Green as something he’s heard the rest of the Knicks are unhappy with.

Green shared the following via New York beat writer Stefan Brody:

“Simply because the fact that the Knicks this year, especially late in the season, they looked very up-and-down. They looked like they were disconnected; the chemistry wasn’t there.

There are rumblings about some guys don’t like Mike Brown or work with the coaches. There are rumblings that some guys are feeling they’re not getting touches or there’s over usage of Jalen Brunson. That seems to me like a team that could self-implode.”

Green called out another issue of Mike Brown losing some members of the locker room via his coaching style in his first year as head coach. Brown also would get blame for Brunson’s role dominating the offense and rarely allowing other teammates to run plays. Green feels these issues will cause the Knicks to fall short against teams like the Boston Celtics.

Why Danny Green Mentioned Brunson’s Role

The Knicks hoped to have a more well-balanced offense with depth shining this season. Karl-Anthony Towns is a consistent yearly All-Star, and New York has two strong wing players with OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges.

However, the offense often comes down to Brunson making the big plays down the stretch and rarely sharing those responsibilities. Teams with this game plan often have a better player, like Nikola Jokic or Luka Doncic in past seasons dominating the usage at the expense of teammates having major roles.

Green claimed that other Knicks players are frustrated with Brown’s decisions and with Brunson having such a high usage all season. The playoffs will likely see this continuing, especially since Brunson has carried New York’s offense over the past few postseason appearances.

Knicks Must Prove The NBA World Wrong

Most pundits agree with Green that the Knicks aren’t serious contenders and often rank them below the Celtics and Detroit Pistons. A likely second round matchup with Boston will see New York having to pull off an upset in the same fashion they did last season in the same Eastern Conference Semi-Finals meeting.

The Knicks are currently the fourth favorite on betting sites to make the NBA Finals behind Boston, Detroit, and the Cleveland Cavaliers as the Eastern Conference pecking order. New York lost a lot of confidence from pundits during the season and must prove everyone wrong to accomplish their goal.

Rumors of Kawhi Leonard and Giannis Antetokounmpo being on the trade block could see the Knicks making drastic changes if they fall short of the NBA Finals again. Brown and Brunson already have extra pressure on them as the coach and superstar, but Green’s comment makes it even more noteworthy now.