TNT's Candace Parker Clarifies Jalen Brunson Comments to Josh Hart, Knicks Fans
At this point, the New York Liberty won't be the only metropolitan group that harbors a rivalry with the Las Vegas Aces.
Aces star Candace Parker, one of the most lauded players in WNBA history, is the latest to ponder the star power of New York Knicks franchise face Jalen Brunson. Working the pregame coverage for the Knicks' Tuesday night tilt with the Brooklyn Nets, the TNT analyst questioned whether a team led by Brunson is capable of contending for a championship.
Parker attempted to use the ghosts of postseasons past to haunt Brunson, who is working through the second year of a four-year, $104 million contract from the Knicks.
Photo: New York Liberty
“When the game slows down in the playoffs, and you get jammed up, we’ve seen Jalen Brunson in the playoffs with the (Dallas Mavericks) and he was No. 2, No. 3, came in, played minutes, supplemented Luka (Doncic) handling the ball," Parker said. "But as a No. 1 option last year in the playoffs, great first round, second round not so much."
Parker further argued that Brunson's 6-2, 190-lb. frame made him a defensive liability, echoing comments from Aces head coach and ESPN analyst Becky Hammon that the Villanova alum was too small to be "a 1A dude" that led a championship run.
Knicks fans were understandably upset with Parker's comments and past/present teammate Josh Hart was among them: on X, Brunson's fellow former Villanova Wildcat remarked that Parker's comments showed that "some (analysts) don’t actually watch basketball."
A look at recent postseason ledgers partly ate away at Parker's points: Brunson was impressive enough in the five-game first round victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers (24 points on 43.7 percent, 4.8 assists, 4.2 rebounds) but drastically improved statistically in the conference semifinal round against Miami (31 points on 50.4 percent, 6.3 assists, 5.3 rebounds).
Parker's assertion that Brunson was a "No. 2, No. 3 option" in Dallas is also a bit of a stretch: Brunson became one of the most sought-after free agent point guards after he carried a good bit of the Mavericks' postseason burden with an injured Doncic missing during most of the 2022 postseason's opening round, averaging 27.8 points in a six-game victory over Utah.
Facing the wrath of the Madison Square Garden faithful, Parker took to X to clarify her comments in a thread, referring to Brunson as a "fn monster [sic]" and supporting his bid for his first NBA All-Star Game appearance.
But Parker, a two-time WNBA MVP and champion, reiterated her belief that having Brunson as a headliner does not pave a path to a Larry O'Brien Trophy hoist. She acknowledged the idea of Steph Curry being an exception to that rule (a common counterargument to Hammon's prior claims) but labeled him "an anomaly."
“The question was not can you win with a small player as your best player," Parker said. "It's can you win a CHAMPIONSHIP with a small player as your best player? Everyone throwing me and tweeting me stats. You are missing the point. (Allen Iverson) (w)as my absolute favorite player…. Despite avg 35.6 (points) in the (2001) finals, they lost to the Lakers. (Chris Paul) despite (numbers) lost… no one since Isiah Thomas has won as the best player on their team and also being the smallest."
Brunson, who scored 30 points in Tuesday's win at Barclays Center, playfully hinted at the ongoing virtual firestorm on his own account, sheepishly "What a lovely day we are having today."
If Brunson is indeed a championship headliner, he'll have a decent chance to make his case in the latter stages of this week: the Knicks host the defending champion Denver Nuggets on Thursday night (7:30 p.m. ET, MSG) before welcoming in the aforementioned Miami Heat over the weekend.
