What did Becky Hammon say about Jalen Brunson? Why WNBA legend’s comment has resurfaced originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

In December 2023, Las Vegas Aces head coach Becky Hammon made waves when she declared on ESPN that the New York Knicks could not win an NBA championship with Jalen Brunson.

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Why? Because he’s too small.

“If your best player is small, you’re not winning,” Hammon said, before clarifying that Stephen Curry was the sole exception to this axiom.

MORE: Karl-Anthony Towns still believes the Knicks have the “fight” required to beat the Hawks

Hammon was ridiculed for that take at the time. But Knicks and NBA fans are starting to see the wisdom in it as Brunson struggles in New York’s first-round playoff series against the Atlanta Hawks.

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Brunson is averaging 27.7 points and 6.0 assists against the Hawks, but he’s shooting only 42 percent from the floor and has been heavily criticized for his defense when matched up against Atlanta’s CJ McCollum.

In the series’ first two games, McCollum scored 22 points on 9-of-12 shooting when Brunson was his primary defender. He then hit the game-winning shot in Game 3 as the Hawks defeated the Knicks, 109-108, to go up 2-1 in the series.

That has led to a reappraisal of Hammon’s comments, with many observers recognizing that the three-time WNBA champion.

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“The apology to Becky Hammon should be as loud as the disrespect was on her when she said this about Jalen Brunson,” wrote @iam_johnw on X after Game 3.

“Becky Hammon was right about that point guard in New York btw,” wrote @W_B_Rick on X after Game 2.

“She’s one of the best coaches in the WNBA. She was one of (Gregg Popovich’s) disciples as an assistant in San Antonio,” wrote @HiladoSanti. “She knows ball.”

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“I’m a Knicks fan and she was 1,000 percent right,” @fredyvmusic said. “No shade on him. He just needs the right team around him and a go-to wing during crunch time.”

After Mikal Bridges and Josh Hart combined for only two points on 1-of-12 shooting in Game 3, time is starting to run out on the Knicks to find a capable complement for Brunson — whose talent is universally recognized, but whose limitations could haunt New York for a while.

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