Jalen Brunson, Knicks, Draymond Green, Warriors
Getty
Jalen Brunson #11 of the New York Knicks plays against the Detroit Pistons at Little Caesars Arena on January 05, 2026 in Detroit, Michigan.
Golden State Warriors star Draymond Green feels the New York Knicks will never win a championship until they find a “bona fide 1A” piece, questioning Jalen Brunson’s ability to be the best player on a title-winning team.
Green, who has notoriously belittled the Knicks for several years, explained why Mike Brown’s team is missing the one piece needed to win it all.
“I think the Knicks have pieces that can be great pieces to a championship roster — no question,” Green said on “The Draymond Green Show” podcast.
“But I still think the New York Knicks are missing that one piece that makes you a championship team. That’s Kevin Durant. That’s Steph Curry, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, LeBron James. Like, that is these, like, 1A. Like, they’re a 1A wherever they go. I think that’s what the Knicks are missing.”
Direct Shot at Jalen Brunson
Brunson has almost singlehandedly made the Knicks relevant since arriving from Dallas in 2022. Even before ending New York’s 25-year Conference Finals drought last year, he led the Knicks to back-to-back second-round appearances in the playoffs — an achievement that had eluded them for over two decades.
The 29-year-old has been so incredible in the postseason that he has already risen to sixth all-time in playoff points for the Knicks, and is on pace to eclipse Willis Reed for No. 3 before the end of the 2026 playoffs. Yet, Green isn’t a believer.
“You look at their roster — really good team,” Green said of the Knicks.
“But I just think until you get that bona fide 1A, that like, if I go here tomorrow, I’m 1A. If I go over there the next day, I’m 1A. If I go over there in two weeks, I am 1A. Until they have that, I just think it’s going to be very tough to win a championship.”
Knicks Snap 4-Game Losing Streak
Green had recorded his podcast before Wednesday, when the Knicks snapped their four-game losing skid with a 123-111 win over the LA Clippers. While analyzing New York’s losing streak, the Warriors veteran maintained the same tone about Brunson.
“The Knicks have lost four in a row,” Green began. “You know, a lot of people say, ‘What’s the missing piece for the Knicks to go from a good team to a championship-level team?’ And I told y’all what I think the missing piece is many, many years ago.
“And the truth is, I don’t know that the Knicks have a roster to win a championship. And I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again.”
Green, a four-time NBA champion, added that he knows “what a championship-level roster looks like,” and the Knicks simply don’t pass his eye test.
Brunson and the Knicks will get a chance to prove Green wrong during the upcoming playoffs. The Knicks currently have the third-shortest odds (12-1) to win the championship, per ESPNBet, and are the favorites to represent the East in the 2026 NBA Finals. Some believe the Knicks have a golden opportunity to end their 26-year NBA Finals drought in light of the injuries to the Boston Celtics and Indiana Pacers.