Jalen Brunson and the New York Knicks don't exactly have the best relationship with Washington Wizards star guard Trae Young.
Young has made a name for himself in the city of New York as a villain, and looking back at all of his battles in Madison Square Garden, it's easy to understand why.
The playmaker thrived on playing the role of the bad guy in previous matchups against the Knicks, and the origin of "Ice Trae" really picked up steam after Young led the Hawks to knock off New York in the playoffs in 2021.
Fast forward to now, the two sides have clearly taken on different paths, with Young leading a rebuild in the DMV and the Knicks fresh off an NBA Finals win.
For Young, seeing one of his biggest rivals win an NBA Championship probably doesn't bring a smile to his face, but considering what Jalen Brunson did on the biggest stage, the guard may want to consider sending a token of appreciation to his old enemy.
Jalen Brunson proved small guards matter
Brunson has been overlooked for the majority of his career, and since signing with the Knicks in free agency a few years back, he's proved to be one of the best guards in the league.
Still, even after clinching a spot on an All-NBA team three times in his career, the noise surrounding whether or not New York could actually lead with an undersized guard leading the way remained loud.
In the postseason, it's clear that Brunson took those comments to heart, and he proved on the grandest stage of them all that small guards can be the top guy on a contender.
Through 19 games in the playoffs, the Villanova product averaged 28.4 points, 6.1 assists, and 3.2 rebounds, on 46.5% shooting from field goal range and 36.3% from beyond the arc.
In the Finals alone, Brunson's 32.6 points, 4.6 assists, and 4.2 rebounds, shooting 42.1% from the field and 38.9% from three, led him to an NBA Finals MVP that made a statement, enough for him and the rest of the small guards around the league.
With Young expected to ink an extension with the Wizards this offseason, the All-Star guard has the leverage of letting Washington know that what Brunson just did for the Knicks, he's capable of doing the same in the right situation.
Obviously, the Wizards and Knicks are at completely different levels in the East right now, and Young isn't the same player as Brunson.
At the same time, Young has proven during his Hawks' tenure that he can lead an underequipped team to the Eastern Conference Finals, and with Brunson reminding teams that small guards can be just as dominant as other stars around the league, Young sits in a great position ahead of the summer.
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