Former Guard Says Knicks Might Not Win With Jalen Brunson

The New York Knicks are sitting at 41-24, third in the East, and playing a decent level of basketball this season. But a familiar face just dropped a take that has people talking.

J.R. Smith, a two-time NBA champion and former Knick, appeared on the To The Baha podcast and made a pointed argument about whether New York can actually go all the way with Jalen Brunson as their guy.

Smith did not hold back. He questioned the Brunson-Karl-Anthony Towns dynamic first, saying the two stars need to figure out their roles before it is too late.

"At some point, y'all, if you want to win, you're going to have to figure it out. And if you don't, then somebody's going to go this way, somebody's going to go that way. It's just a matter of who stays. But to me, it's harder to win if you got your two biggest stars fighting for the ball," Smith said.

He also told Towns directly what he thought, "Bro, you can't tell him to throw you the ball. You don't demand the ball. You're not demanding space, creating, like, owning your space. He's not going to throw you the ball. And I wouldn't throw you the ball either."

J.R. Smith says it's difficult for the New York Knicks to win with Jalen Brunson 👀

"It's hard to win in the NBA with a small guard" pic.twitter.com/QRKw3qB3v0
— ToTheBaha (@ToTheBaha) March 7, 2026

But the chemistry stuff was just the warmup. Smith's real argument was about something harder to fix than ball distribution.

Can the Knicks Really Win With a Small Guard Running the Show?

Small guards have always had to prove themselves in a big-man league. Smith does not think it gets easier in the playoffs.

"It's a hard way to win in the NBA with small guards. Everybody knows that. It's a hard way to win."

The podcast panel pushed back. Someone brought up Allen Iverson, who dragged a Sixers team to the NBA Finals on sheer will while standing at 6-feet even. Then Isaiah Thomas from the Boston run came up. Smith acknowledged both but called them what they were: outliers.

Stephen Curry got a pass too.

"His three-ball is outlandish. And that's why he's an outlier. Because he don't have to get to the basket. He can shoot that shit from the parking lot."

Feb 24, 2026; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) drives to the basket against Cleveland Cavaliers guard James Harden (1) during the first quarter at Rocket Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images | Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

That is where Brunson's case gets interesting. He is 6-foot-2, averaging 26.2 points and 6.5 assists per game, and already won the NBA Cup MVP this season. He took the Knicks to the Eastern Conference Finals last year. He is not Iverson or Curry, but he has been good enough to make New York believe.

Still, Smith is not the first person to raise the size concern, and he probably will not be the last. The Knicks look like legitimate contenders right now, but the real answer only comes later in the playoffs. Until then, takes like this one will keep coming.

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