Former Knicks Guard Curbs Jalen Brunson Franchise GOAT Talk

Former New York Knicks starter Greg Anthony wants to put this Wildcat take back in the bag.

Former college phenom-turned-ESPN analyst Jay Williams caused a stir on the hardwood social landscape on Friday when he stated that Jalen Brunson could end up being "the greatest Knick ever to play in that Knick uniform" on the Worldwide Leader in Sports' morning program "Get Up!"

But Anthony, currently serving as a game analyst for TNT Sports, doused the idea of Brunson being Manhattan's all-time finest, at least for the time being.

Jalen is a monster! Love him, but what are we doing here? let his career play out a little more before we start going there. https://t.co/ZcMwiuDRmM
— Greg Anthony (@GregAnthony50) May 2, 2025

"Jalen is a monster! Love him, but what are we doing here?" Anthony said in an X post quoting a video of Williams' declaration. "Let his career play out a little more before we start going there."

To be fair to Williams, he prefaced his bold labeling by remarking that Brunson will need "to close the deal and win a championship" to garner such praise. It is, however, certainly easy to let recency bias get in the way.

Brunson's latest effort in the Knicks reclamation project was one of his most thrilling yet: the captain and point guard closed out New York's quarterfinal series against the Detroit Pistons in style, putting up 40 points and seven assists in a 116-113 win, the fourth and final triumph required to advance in the best-of-seven set. A Brunson three-pointer sunk with just about five seconds remaining provided the final difference and allowed the Knicks to win a playoff series in each of his three seasons on the floor.

Even though Brunson has thrust the Knicks into a new period of prosperity after years of futility, his accomplishments still pale in comparison to the ghosts of metropolitan past, an immortal list that includes Patrick Ewing, Walt "Clyde" Frazier, Willis Reed and more. Frazier and Reed, of course, perhaps still carry the honors thanks to the fact they led the Knicks to two championships, while Brunson has yet to advance past the Eastern Conference's second round (though that has been far from his fault).

Brunson certainly has a brilliant opportunity to improve his case for the Knicks ledgers: New York is set to face the defending champion Boston Celtics in the second round of the playoffs after dropping all four regular season matches. It'll be far from easy, but would certainly provide sterling ammunition for the GOAT case that seems to be in its infant stages.

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