Paul George stopped his podcast recently, something that two of his Knicks teammates are yet to follow his example in.
The New York Knicks are having a strong season, sitting in the No. 3 seed with a 38-20 record. They’re a rung below East leaders like the Cleveland Cavaliers and Boston Celtics. Nonetheless, the Knicks are one of the most competitive teams in the NBA.
They have a real shot at competing for a title. Experts like Brian Windhorst have said the Knicks are ‘pretenders not contenders’. However, they will give it their all to secure a title this season.
They have a strong core of stars led by point guard Jalen Brunson, who’s surrounded by some old college teammates. His Villanova roommate Josh Hart is a key Knicks’ teammate. The duo have a podcast called ‘The Roommates Show’ together.
After Paul George announced he was shuttering his podcast for the rest of the season, an ESPN analyst who’s a former NBA Champion advised Brunson and Hart to follow suit.
After George announced his podcast hiatus, ESPN discussed the move on ‘NBA Today.’ Former Boston Celtics center and 2008 title-winner Kendrick Perkins declared that this is a great move and one which Brunson and Hart on the Knicks should promptly follow.
“Paul George isn’t the only one who should be taking a break from podcasting while playing during the basketball season. I think Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart should also take a break. If you’re trying to honestly compete for an NBA Championship, it should be your only goal. Anything outside of that is a distraction… Guys need to keep the main thing the main thing.”
Kendrick Perkins is a huge Jalen Brunson supporter. Perkins has said Brunson makes his Knicks teammates better when he’s on the court. This isn’t hate towards the guard but earnest advice.
We know players can win championships while podcasting, as displayed by Draymond Green during the 2022 NBA Playoffs. Brunson and Hart’s podcast isn’t nearly as regular as George or Draymond in years’ past, so it shouldn’t be a problem.
We know even Tom Thibodeau is aware of Brunson and Hart doing the podcast, so if the coach has given them his blessing, others can’t really comment.
Trying to say that either Jalen Brunson or Josh Hart isn’t locked in on winning basketball games is silly. The Knicks acquired multiple national championship winners like Brunson, Hart, and Mikal Bridges to maximize their chances of winning an NBA title.
Karl-Anthony Towns is Brunson’s offensive co-star. Outside that, the team has a well-rounded core with 3-and-D stars like OG Anunoby, alongside Bridges and Hart. The franchise gave up a big haul to acquire Bridges, something Hart and Brunson have openly called the Bridges deal an overpay on their podcast before.
Brunson is averaging 26.1 points and 7.4 assists this season. Hart is averaging 14.7 points, 9.8 rebounds, and 5.7 assists. They’re averaging 35.2 and 37.8 minutes per game respectively, regularly playing to their physical limits to try and add wins to the Knicks’ record.
Unfortunately, the Knicks have been uncompetitive against other top seeds in the NBA like the Thunder, Cavaliers, and Celtics. As a result, they’re being painted with the ‘pretenders’ label. In reality, this is a team with a high ceiling if their core is healthy for a Playoff run.
Brunson and Hart will likely not be podcasting in the Playoffs, but there’s nothing that indicates their podcasting is why the Knicks are behind the Cavaliers or Celtics this season.
