Jalen Brunson is one-third of the way through his third season with the New York Knicks. In his relatively brief time with the team, he already has become one of the most productive players in team history. There is a reason why MVP chants for the 28-year-old aren’t just heard at Madison Square Garden, but in some select road games as well.
Brunson had another terrific performance on Saturday against the New Orleans Pelicans. It was another ‘Brunson Burner’, particularly in the third quarter. The outing helped Brunson pass Walt Frazier on the Knicks leaderboard for most 30-point games with the franchise.
Jalen Brunson Passes Clyde Frazier In Knicks Leaderboard
Jalen Brunson Has Another Game With Knicks Of At Least 30 Points
The Knicks defeated the Pelicans 104-93 on Saturday to improve to 18-10. Brunson dropped 39 points in the win, securing a new season-high. New York fell down by as much as 14 points in the third quarter before Brunson went on an absolute heater. He finished the game 13-19 from the field, 7-10 from beyond the arc, and 6-6 from the free-throw line.
The 6-foot-2 point guard has now played 173 regular season games with the Knicks. Of those, he has scored at least 30 points in 62 of them. With last night’s performance, Brunson passed Frazier on the team’s leaderboard for most 30+ point games with the franchise.
Brunson finished last season fifth in MVP voting. He has averaged 26.3 points during his Knicks tenure. It can be hard to remember, but the four-year, $104 million contract he signed to join New York in 2022 was almost universally panned. It didn’t take long to realize that might have actually been an underpay.
Passing Frazier already isn’t to say that Brunson is a better Knicks player all-time. The man known as Clyde is arguably the best player in team history. He won two championships. Frazier had one of the most iconic Game 7 performances in an NBA Finals in league history (36 points, 19 assists, seven rebounds).
Long Way To Go To Surpass Patrick Ewing
Brunson is now tied for seventh all-time in most 30+ point games in Knicks history. That is quite impressive since he had such a brief stint for a team that has been around a while. His 62 30+ point games tie him with Basketball Hall of Famer Bob McAdoo in team history.
It isn’t far-fetched to believe that Brunson could move up to second on the team leaderboard. The names he is looking up at are Willis Reed (67), Julius Randle (69), Bernard King (72), Richie Guerin (87), and Carmelo Anthony (108). Since Brunson has compiled his amount of 30+ point games in a relatively short time with the team, it wouldn’t surprise anyone if he surpasses all of them.
The all-time leader in 30+ point games as a Knick shouldn’t stun anyone. The team-record holder belongs to Patrick Ewing, who had 203 of those contests. The seven-foot center played 15 seasons for New York and totaled 23,665 points for the team.
There is no way to say that Jalen Brunson will pass Ewing for the most 30+ point games in team history. It is safe to say though that he will continue adding to the number of times he has done so while with the team.
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