The New York Knicks are in fifth place in the Eastern Conference Standings. When asked if she sees improvement down the horizon for the Orange and Blue, Las Vegas Aces head coach Becky Hammon isn’t too optimistic.
Hammon made a guest appearance on NBA Today and explained why she thought the Knicks don’t have enough to hang with the big boys in the East.
“They’re not getting to that tier. They don’t have enough personnel, they don’t have the manpower that they need to hang with those guys. I think they’re gonna be a consistent team like they’ve been. They’re a pretty good team, they’re well-coached, they’re gonna be on their defensive game.
But at the end of the day, they don’t have a dude. You gotta have a dude, you gotta have a 1A dude and they’re missing that.”
Becky Hammon on the New York Knicks
When Kendrick Perkins pointed out that Jalen Brunson is that dude, Hammon quickly shot the notion down.
“No, he’s too small. I got a philosophy, can I say my philosophy? If your best player is small, you’re not winning. John Stockton, Allen Iverson, Steve Nash, you can go down the list. Steph Curry is the only dude, but the’s the greatest shooter to ever walk this planet. He’s in a different class.”
Becky Hammon on Jalen Brunson
Is Becky Hammon Right?
Hammon is going somewhere with that philosophy. She led the Aces to back-to-back championships in 2022 and 2023. The team’s best player was Candace Parker, a do-it-all six-foot-four forward. A’Ja Wilson, the 2023 Finals MVP, is also six-foot-four.
But then again, the NBA has seen small players lead their teams to the promised land. Besides Stephen Curry, the first guy on the right did it twice. Isiah Thomas is only six-foot-one but was the best player on the Bad Boy Detroit Pistons teams that won the titles in 1989 and 1990. After Thomas, one can argue that Tony Parker was the San Antonio Spurs‘ best player in 2007.
Of course, as Hammon may agree, these guys are the exceptions to the rule. Basketball has always been a tall man’s sport, and that’s not going to change anytime soon.
