New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson has blossomed into a superstar since coming over to the team in 2022. Each year, his game seems to grow, and it results in better results for the Knicks themselves, as they reached the Eastern Conference finals for the first time in 25 years this past season.
Rick Pitino says Knicks’ Jalen Brunson is not a point guard
However, one Hall of Fame coach doesn’t classify Brunson as a point guard in today’s NBA. That coach is the current St. John’s head coach, Rick Pitino.
“There are no point guards anymore,” Pitino said (h/t New York Basketball on X). “Who’s the PG of the Knicks, Lakers, Celtics, Thunder?…Point guard’s totally done.”
“[Brunson is a] Combo scoring guard,” Pitino added. “I don’t think he’s looking for the assist. I think he’s looking to score. And thank God he is…”
Brunson was never the main point guard during his time with the Dallas Mavericks, so when he joined the Knicks, he had to assume the role of the engine of the offense. His main role is still their top scoring option, which he has been for the past two seasons.
Brunson has improved significantly as a playmaker
However, his assist numbers have climbed each season as he acclimates himself to being more of a true point guard. This past season, he averaged a career-high in assists per game with 7.3 while also still scoring at a high level with 26.0 points per game.
A lot of teams are becoming more position-less and staying away from using true point guards, but Brunson has developed into becoming more of a true point guard after being a score-first guy for most of his career.
While scoring is something that he excels at, his playmaking has improved each season. Under new head Mike Brown, his assist numbers could continue to go up given Brown’s heavy emphasis on ball movement, and he could continue to take a leap as a playmaker.