Draymond Green Is Having A ‘Hard Time’ Accepting Jalen Brunson’s Superiority Over Rio Olympics Teammate Carmelo Anthony

When the Knicks signed Jalen Brunson two years ago, no one expected he would singlehandedly bring the storied franchise back to relevance. Especially after being just a role player in his previous stint in Dallas. However, fast forward to today, Brunson is two wins away from leading the Knicks to the Conference Finals for the first time since the Patrick Ewing era and has already entered the conversation of one of the greatest players to suit up for them. And Brunson might have solidified the claim even more by surpassing Knicks’ legend Carmelo Anthony in franchise playoff points. However, Draymond Green has come crashing in with an honest yet eye-opening remark.

The seasoned veteran is struggling to wrap his head around this notion. On The Draymond Green Show, he mentioned, “I have a hard time saying Jalen Brunson is higher up than Melo because I came in the league underneath Melo.” Although it has been a year since Melo hung his boots, when Draymond’s career began in 2012, Anthony was one of the biggest stars in the league. Just two years into his Knicks tenure, Carmelo led the league in scoring average (28.7) in Dray’s rookie season. And citing the example of older players who struggle with younger athlete comparisons, Draymond admitted to having a similar crisis here.

Moreover, the Warriors veteran also spent several years sharing the court with Melo, whether it was the All-Star Games or winning the gold medal alongside him at the 2016 Rio Olympics. Even when Melo announced his retirement last year, Draymond Green didn’t shy away from giving the Knicks legend his flowers, “Your legacy is one of the best to ever do it.” Despite not ending his career with a ring on his finger, Draymond claimed that it eventually doesn’t define if a player is great or not and Carmelo Anthony was “GREAT!”

So, watching Melo dominate since Draymond was eleven years old, it is understandable why he is having difficulty putting Brunson over one of his idols.

Is Jalen Brunson already a better Knicks player than Carmelo Anthony?

If we compare their overall resume, Jalen Brunson is years away from matching the greatness of Carmelo Anthony. Arguably one of the greatest scorers the world has ever seen, Melo came into the league the same year as LeBron James and created his unique identity. From ending Denver’s eight-year playoff drought in his rookie year and leading them to the Western Conference Finals just a few years later to join the Knicks during a time when they had turned into a laughing stock around the league, Carmelo played a crucial part in reviving multiple franchises.

Meanwhile, All-Star selections and multiple Olympic medals continued to come Melo’s way, taking his basketball legacy even further. However, despite his Hall of Fame career, one thing that was bound to haunt Melo’s legacy after he retired was his lack of playoff success.

Spending seven seasons in New York, Melo made it to the postseason only three times and the farthest he led the team was to the Conference semis in 2013. Coincidentally, that series was also against the Indiana Pacers, which Melo’s squad lost in six games. Meanwhile, by gaining a 2-0 lead against the same franchise, at the same stage this year, Brunson has already done what Melo couldn’t for the Knicks in seven years!

Moreover, scoring 591 points during the postseason in the Knicks uniform, two more than Melo (589) did during his Knicks tenure, Brunson has slowly started to overtake Melo’s legacy in New York. And if JB can take the team further in the playoffs, he will surely solidify the claim even more.

Do you think fans claiming Jalen Brunson as a greater Knicks player than Carmelo Anthony is just a recency bias or a reality?