Jalen Brunson Has Clear Goal For Knicks

New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson has a lot of personal accolades, but he isn't too focused about those.

Instead, Brunson is focused on what the Knicks can accomplish as a team and how they can move forward towards winning the NBA Finals.

“All my personal goals are team-based,” Brunson said in an interview with Games Hub reporter D.J. Siddiqi.

“If everyone’s able to feed off that, that’s all I’m worried about. I’m not really worried about anything that benefits me solely if it doesn’t help us to get where we’re going.”

New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson reacts after making a three point basket against the New Orleans Pelicans | Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

The Knicks have taken a step forward in each season Brunson has been part of the team. In 2023, they made it to the second round, losing to the Miami Heat. In 2024, the Knicks clinched the No. 2 seed and advanced to the second round, but fell to the Indiana Pacers. This past season, they made it to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 2000, but fell to the Pacers again.

With those playoffs runs under their belt, the chemistry has improved with Brunson as the main centerpiece.

“I think we’ve been taking steady steps every year,” Brunson told Siddiqi. “The best part about our team is the chemistry we’ve grown and we’ve created. A lot of people help us on this journey, and to be able to be where we are now, it’s nothing to be satisfied about.

“Hopefully we don’t have that mindset going into the season where we think we’re just going to jump back into the Eastern Conference Finals. We need to be able to go through this process again and continue to get better and the fight to get over that hump.”

The only way the Knicks can move forward as a team this season is by making it to the NBA Finals for the first time since 1999. That should be the goal for Brunson and everyone else on the team, as was mentioned by president Leon Rose after the team fired Tom Thibodeau.

"Our organization is singularly focused on winning a championship for our fans. This pursuit led us to the difficult decision to inform Tom Thibodeau that we've decided to move in another direction," the statement read.

"We can't thank Tom enough for pouring his heart and soul into each and every day of being the New York Knicks head coach. He led us not only with class and professionalism for the past five seasons, but also to tremendous success on the court with four playoff berths and four playoff series victories. Ultimately, we made the decision we feel is best for our organization moving forward. Tom will always be a part of our Knicks family and we truly wish him nothing but the best in the future."

With Thibodeau out and Mike Brown in, the Knicks have made it loud and clear that they want to make it to the NBA Finals. Knowing that everyone is aligned in that goal gives the Knicks a better chance to accomplish the feat.

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