By order of the captain, a new word has apparently been added to the swear jar at the New York Knicks facility.
In the latest highlight of their remarkable summer, the Knicks named Jalen Brunson as the 36th captain in franchise history. This was made official on Thursday during an event at Madison Square Garden.
With contract extensions for OG Anunoby and head coach Tom Thibodeau (including Brunson himself at a discounted rate), and a trade for another former Villanova Wildcat, Mikal Bridges, the Knicks are poised to be prime contenders in the Eastern Conference once NBA predictions are socially acceptable.
However, Brunson considers “contender” a curse word if mentioned around the Knicks facility.
“We’re contenders, but I think we need to start training camp without mentioning that word,” Brunson said during a conference broadcast on MSG Network. “From day one, it’s all about improving every single day and focusing on the next day.”
In the two seasons with Brunson, the Knicks have reached heights they haven’t seen in years: they’ve won a playoff series in consecutive seasons for the first time since 1999-2000, and last season they achieved 50 wins and secured the second seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs, their best performance in a decade.
However, Brunson isn’t satisfied with just that, often prioritizing team success over individual achievements.
“We can’t just assume we’ll go straight to the second round again. We need to start from scratch,” Brunson said. “We have new additions and familiar faces. What can we achieve together? What kind of team do we want to be? We need to commit and work together.”
Despite the upbeat atmosphere at Thursday’s event, Brunson remained grounded, acknowledging that the Knicks’ new moves don’t guarantee success. Even with their recent accomplishments, the Knicks still hold some of the longest droughts in the NBA, having not reached a conference final in 24 years, the third-longest active streak behind Washington and Charlotte.
The current Knicks team, led by Brunson, presents their best chance to end those streaks … just don’t call them contenders.
