Knicks' Jalen Brunson appreciates Walt 'Clyde' Frazier, and the feeling is mutual
Knicks point guards Jalen Brunson, left, and Walt 'Clyde' Frazier. Credit: AP; Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
GREENBURGH — Is Jalen Brunson the best Knicks point guard since Walt "Clyde'' Frazier?
Sure seems like it.
“No,” Brunson said on Saturday morning. “No. Just no. No. No.”
Brunson, fresh off his first NBA All-Star Game selection, was speaking to a pair of reporters at the Knicks’ practice facility nine hours before LeBron James and the Lakers paid a nationally televised visit to Madison Square Garden.
The Knicks went into the night on a nine-game winning streak. Brunson, after being named an Eastern Conference All-Star on Thursday, scored 40 points in the Knicks’ last game, a 109-105 victory over Indiana.
The Knicks are on the rise and so is their 27-year-old point guard. The franchise’s longest winning streak is the 18 games the 1969-70 squad won with Frazier running the show. Of course, Clyde is still around the Garden as an MSG Network analyst and is treated like royalty by everyone — including Brunson.
“I always say ‘Hi’ to him whenever I walk past him on the bus or on the court,” Brunson said. “I always check in with him. I haven’t talked about the things that he was able to accomplish, just because we just haven’t had the time to sit down. But it’s always a respect.
“Whenever I see him, I have to say ‘Hi’ to him. I can’t just walk past him because he’s a legend. But to be able to see him every day, just knowing the presence he brings around this organization, you have to respect him and you have to understand the things that he did as a player are remarkable.”
A little more than a year ago, in a story on NBA.com, Frazier said of Brunson: “He’s exceeded my expectations. He’s been phenomenal, dealing with pressure, breaking down the defense. Tremendous leader. Savvy and smart player.”
And Brunson has only gotten better in the past year in becoming the first Knicks point guard to make the All-Star team since Mark Jackson in the 1988-89 season.
Brunson went into Saturday averaging 27.1 points, 6.4 assists and 3.9 rebounds. He was shooting 48.1% from the field and 41.7% on three-pointers.
He would have been joined at the Feb. 18 All-Star Game in Indianapolis by teammate Julius Randle, but Randle is on the shelf with a dislocated right shoulder.
Brunson said he hadn’t heard from anyone “out of the ordinary” since he learned of his All-Star nod, but he is hearing from Knicks fans. He posted on X (formerly Twitter) on Friday: “Appreciate the love and support New York!” followed by orange and blue heart emojis.
Brunson’s teammates are excited for him, too.
“Just seeing the work that he puts in,” Isaiah Hartenstein said. “The pride he takes in winning and playing for New York, for him to now get acknowledged for the work he's been putting in, it's been great. He’s a great leader, and I think he's been one of the main people while we've been on this winning streak, so I'm just happy for him. Excited for him.”
The Knicks went into the night a half-game behind Milwaukee for the second seed in the Eastern Conference.
“I know where we are,” Brunson said. “We have to have the same mindset every single night. We need to go out there and be better than we were the day before. So no matter where we are in the standings, no matter how many we’ve won in a row, my mindset is to be better every single time we’re on that court. No record, no standing, no accolades are going to make us think differently.”
Anthony Rieber covers baseball, as well as the NFL, NBA and NHL. He has worked at Newsday since Aug. 31, 1998, and has been in his current position since July 5, 2004.
