Knick Knocks: TNT's Candace Parker Doubles Down on Jalen Brunson Take
Like plenty of questionable Las Vegas entrants before her, Candace Parker is going all in.
The Las Vegas Aces star and TNT analyst has offered further adjustment but no true remission of her analysis on New York Knicks point guard Jalen Brunson. Less than a month ago, Parker drew the ire of Knicks fans for claiming that Brunson shrank in the spotlight of the team's recent second-round playoff series against the Miami Heat, despite statistical evidence to the contrary.
Parker addressed the concerns of Knicks fans in a conference call with other TNT personalities with the network's coverage of the 2024 NBA All-Star Game looming. Brunson is set to partake in his first exhibition as well as the preceding Three-Point Contest over the weekend.
Photo: New York Liberty
In her statements, Parker claimed she meant "no slight" against Brunson while acknowledging his supposed shortcomings against Jimmy Butler.
“What I was alluding to was the fact that in the first round of the playoffs, he was the best player on the court against Donovan Mitchell. He was the best player on the court," the two-time WNBA MVP/champion said, per Peter Botte of the New York Post. "(In) the second round, especially on the defensive end, Miami picked on him a great deal and Jimmy Butler was, in fact, the best player on the court."
"My thing was, basically, it was no slight on Jalen Brunson. I think he makes everybody better around him. I think he makes winning plays."
Parker previously defended her comments on X, echoing concerns from her head coach and fellow analyst Becky Hammon that the 6-2, 190-lb. Brunson was not suitably sized to lead a championship run.
Despite her lingering Brunson takes, Parker did offer an olive branch of sorts to Knicks fans, claiming that she was enthused by the team's recent trade with Detroit, one that brought in Bojan Bogdanovic and Alec Burks for a package headlined by Quentin Grimes.
“I think what the Knicks have done in this trade, and in the season, that has been surrounding him with defense, which was something that they struggled with last year, and getting stops against Miami in the playoffs. So that was my hot take.”
As annoyed as Knicks fans may be at Parker's takes, there's no denying her analysis of last spring's heartbreakers against the Heat.
To Parker's point, the Knicks gave the future conference champion Heat a challenge thanks in part to Brunson's efforts (averages of 31 points and 6.3 assists over the six games) but were unable to duplicate the defensive mastery that allowed them to conquer Cleveland in the opening round. En route to eliminating the Knicks, Miami averaged 104.3 points and an offensive rating of 113.4 as compared to the 94.2 and 105.1 that the Cavaliers put up in the prior set.
Brunson and the Knicks (33-21) have one more game before the break, as they'll face the Orlando Magic on Wednesday night (7 p.m. ET, MSG).
