Stephen A. Smith Has Clear Answer on Knicks' Most Important Player

The New York Knicks just beat the Memphis Grizzlies 130-119, snapping a three-game skid. Karl-Anthony Towns posted a triple-double, Mikal Bridges scored 24, and OG Anunoby added 25. Good result. But one win does not answer the question that actually matters right now.

In a post shared by First Take on X, ESPN's Stephen A. Smith laid out exactly where the Knicks stand right now, and the picture is not as clean as one win makes it look.

The Knicks have not looked good lately, period. Wins against weaker teams have been hard to come by, too, and against better teams, it has been even worse.

He did credit the individual efforts from the Grizzlies win, though.

"Now I will say this. Mikhail Bridges had 24 points last night. Thank God. I'm happy about that. Karl-Anthony Towns. Okay, you take advantage. 20 points, 11 rebounds, 11 assists. Big boy. Okay, you playing like a big man. I got that part. OG Anunoby stepped up. Jalen Brunson sits out to ankle soreness. I got it."

"[The] answer to this is easy. It's Jalen Brunson. ... Everything goes where Jalen Brunson takes you."

—@stephenasmith on the most important player for the Knicks ✍️ pic.twitter.com/cl2qp3VW9B
— First Take (@FirstTake) April 2, 2026

But his point was that none of that matters if the Knicks cannot beat good teams.

"But the reality is, is that we're looking at the New York Knicks. You ain't shadowboxing. The fact is, when you look at the Knicks, you have to look at the Boston Celtics. You have to look at Cleveland. You have to look at Detroit. I'd say you have to look at Atlanta. And you have to say, okay, what you going to do against those people? That's what this all comes down to."

Stephen A Smith on Jalen Brunson vs Karl-Anthony Towns for Knicks Success

Smith was not done. After laying out that playoff picture, he got to the question that has been floating around this team all season. Who matters more, Brunson or Towns?

"[The] answer to this is easy. It's Jalen Brunson. I know Karl-Anthony Towns is needed, but that's assuming you get what we've been getting from Jalen Brunson. He is the dude that starts this engine. Everything goes where Jalen Brunson takes you."

He went further on why Towns cannot carry the same weight on his own.

"It's not just about his overall points assist production and stuff like that. It's his efficiency. It's also about his clutch gene. When it's time to close, Jalen Brunson will close for you and that's a big big deal. We don't know if we could say that about KAT or anybody else, but we know we can say that about Jalen Brunson. And that's why I say he's more important because he closes. That's what we need."

Brunson is averaging 26.1 points and 6.7 assists this season on 46.5% shooting. The Knicks sit third in the East at 49-28, just ahead of Cleveland. With the ankle soreness still something to watch, the Knicks need him on the floor and at his best.

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