Kendrick Perkins: Brunson, Thibodeau Make Knicks East's Second-Best

Former NBA center and current ESPN analyst Kendrick Perkins had high praise for the New York Knicks, labeling them the Eastern Conference's second-best team.

The New York Knicks are on the rise since making their big trade for OG Anunoby, and ESPN personality Kendrick Perkins believes they'll continue to do so.

Perkins, a 14-year NBA veteran, believes that nobody in the Eastern Conference except for his original NBA employers, the Boston Celtics, could take the Knicks in a seven-game series. The 2008 NBA champion primarily credited the joint prescience of head coach Tom Thibodeau and point guard Jalen Brunson for his belief, as the believes the pair gives the Knicks an edge over fellow competitors like Milwaukee and Philadelphia.

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"Right now, if you ask me who I have more trust in out of Tom Thibodeau or (Milwaukee Bucks head coach) Adrian Griffin, I'm sorry, I'm going with Tom Thibodeau when it comes to scheming and designing to stop players, especially on the defensive side of things," Perkins said. "Jalen Brunson has the capability to be the best player in any of those series outside of Boston."

Brunson is currently averaging career-highs in points, assists, and three-point percentage. His assist average is already impressive at 6.4 per game, but since the trade for Anunoby, he is averaging 8.7. Continuing to live up to every parameter of a four-year, $104 million contract has kept the Knicks (23-17) lingering among the Eastern Conference contenders and it could have him on track to make his first NBA All-Star Game appearance.

Entering Wednesday night play, the Knicks currently sit in seventh place in the Eastern Conference, the first team out of automatic six playoff spots. If Perkins' prophecy were to come to fruition, New York would likely have to prove itself against the conference's finest: the Knicks currently own a 3-7 record against the East's top four teams (Boston, Milwaukee, Philadelphia, Cleveland) though they took down the 76ers by a 128-92 final in the third game of the Anunoby era on Jan. 5. 

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Brunson's impact has been felt in his absence: the point guard has missed each of the Knicks' last two games, which included an unsuccessful offensive struggle against the Orlando Magic on Monday afternoon. He's currently listed as questionable for Wednesday's game against the Houston Rockets (7:30 p.m. ET, MSG).