Why Perkins chose Brunson over Steph as NBA’s best PG originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
When it comes to ranking the NBA’s best point guards, ESPN analyst Kendrick Perkins has made it clear that he would take Jalen Brunson over Warriors superstar Steph Curry and Oklahoma City Thunder All-Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
Speaking to Stephen A. Smith and Molly Qerim on “First Take” on Friday, Perkins was asked which point guard he would take over Brunson, with the always-outspoken basketball pundit explaining that the New York Knicks star stands alone at the top of the hierarchy.
“I wouldn’t take one, nobody,” Perkins said. “And it’s no disrespect to Steph Curry, it’s no disrespect to SGA, but I’m not taking anybody over Jalen Brunson. Didn’t you see him handing out 42 pieces [points]? Did you hear what Mike Brown said about Jalen Brunson as far as the attention and the details they had to put around him?
“Did you hear what Draymond Green said after Jalen Brunson went to Golden State and worked them? When it comes down to being a floor general, there’s no other player in the game outside of Luka [Dončić]… What he’s doing for the New York Knicks despite all the injuries, I can’t say enough about it. Right now, he is the best point guard in the game in my opinion.”
Brunson has been on a tear of late, ripping off impressive performances against the Portland Trail Blazers (45 points), the Sacramento Kings (42 points) and the Warriors (34 points) with the Knicks winning four out of their last five games.
In purely statistical terms, Brunson is averaging more points and assists per game than Curry and Gilgeous-Alexander this season while leading the Knicks to a possible top-4 Eastern Conference playoff spot.
During the Knicks’ recent win over the Warriors at Chase Center, Brunson outplayed Curry, tallying more points, assists and having a significantly better plus-minus as a shorthanded New York team outlasted Golden State’s late comeback, 119-112.
