The New York Knicks have been one of the offseason winners, trading for Mika Bridges and re-signing OG Anunoby to form an excellent core around Jalen Brunson and Julius Randle.

But some insiders wonder if Brunson is truly good enough to lead the team to a title, according to NBA reporter Marc Stein:

“People around the NBA still ask if Brunson, given his size and defensive limitations, can be the best player on a championship team. Go ahead if you want to persist with that line of questioning. I don’t. He’s an absolute winner and culture-setter who, with his ability to pull everyone in the organization together on top of what his herky-jerky offensive craftiness generates, has set the Knicks up for success better than any player, coach or executive they’ve brought to town in the 21st century.”

Brunson, 27, was fantastic in the 2023-24 playoffs, averaging 32.4 points and 7.5 assists per game in 13 overall contests, though the Knicks were unable to get past the second round of the playoffs.

Injuries didn’t help, which included Brunson fracturing his hand in the decisive Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals against the Indiana Pacers.

But one of the trends in NBA history is that elite wings tend to translate to championships more than other positions. And even if wings aren’t a championship team’s best players, it is often historically unique players like Stephen Curry, Nikola Jokić, Giannis Antetokounmpo or Tim Duncan getting their teams over the hump.

And they tend to be surrounded by very good wings.

Brunson will have those in Bridges and Anunoby. But he isn’t the greatest shooter of all time like Curry; the most uniquely gifted playmaker at center like Jokić; an unstoppable 7’0″ freight train at the basket, who has the athleticism of a wing, like Antetokounmpo; or a two-way game-changer like Duncan who was the model of consistency.

Brunson benefitted from getting to the free-throw line in this past postseason, with 7.2 points per game coming from the line on an average of 9.2 attempts. But against teams with elite perimeter defenders, it’s fair to wonder if the 6’2″ guard will be able to consistently generate efficient offense, in a playoff environment, outside of getting to the line.

The Boston Celtics, for instance, can throw a number of excellent defenders his way. The Philadelphia 76ers have a number of solid perimeter defenders on the wing and plenty of length after an excellent offseason of their own. Those teams could give Brunson some issues.

Great players find a way, of course, and Brunson is making a case to be considered one of the league’s best offensive playmakers. But expectations haven’t been higher for these Knicks in years, and anything less than a title will be seen as a disappointment. The Knicks are going to go as far as Brunson can take them, and that has led to some questions about the team’s true ceiling.