Chauncey Billups, head coach of the Portland Trail Blazers, has been around enough superstars in his days to understand what one looks like. That’s been the question recently surrounding New York Knicks point guard Jalen Brunson.
Brunson gets disrespected when it comes to people recognizing him as a No. 1 option. While the critics are there, Brunson continues to respond to them. There’s an argument that small guards, outside of very few in NBA history, can’t win a championship as the No. 1 option. However, that’s still to be determined for the 27-year-old.
After the Knicks win against the Trail Blazers on January 9, 2024, Chauncey Billups spoke to reporters about Brunson and the Knicks, saying the following, according to Kristian Winfield of the Daily News:
“The game is obviously very different now, but I’m a big believer in: if you can get a top-flight defensive team and you got enough people on offense that can – obviously you got to score more in today’s game than you did then – but if you have enough people who can score and get it going and you have three-point shooting, you got a chance to be elite and get it going.”
Billups clearly respects what the Knicks have done in their pursuit to become one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference.
Regarding his superstar status, that’s up to each individual. Many believe Brunson is one of the best players in basketball and a sure superstar while others don’t believe you can win with small guards. Whether you believe he’s a superstar or not, you have to respect the way he plays.
Billups didn’t call Brunson a star when asked if he was one, according to Winfield, but he notes that they don’t need a superstar to win. He’s impressed with what coach Tom Thibodeau has done with Brunson, Julius Randle, and others.
“I’m a huge fan of Jalen. I think he’s a winner more than anything,” said Billups. “You can talk about how crafty he is and how he can score and how he’s just a winner. He makes big plays. He makes winning plays. He’s leading the league in taking charges and he’s just a winner. For somebody, like me, who just believes in that, he’s big time. I think he inspires his team and has the ability to bring you with him with how he plays. He knows how to get other people shots and the ball. I think at the end of the day, they just believe in him. I’m happy to see his success.”
Becky Hammon was on ESPN in December of 2023 and said that if your best player, which Brunson is on the Knicks, is small, you’re not winning. This caused outrage from New York Knicks fans as they felt slighted by this comment.
There’s only one way to prove Hammon and the rest of the nonbelievers wrong and that’s by winning in the postseason. Brunson has made it clear that winning when it matters most is his biggest priority moving forward.
