Jalen Brunson is already a better New York Knick than Carmelo Anthony ever was – but the former NBA backup must finish the job against the Pacers

Jalen Brunson has already been a huge deal for the New York Knicks.

And one stat shows just how valuable Brunson, a former NBA backup, has been to one of the league’s most storied franchises.

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Brunson entered Game 5 of a second-round series against the Indiana Pacers on Tuesday night with 635 playoff points as a Knick.

Carmelo Anthony, who spent seven seasons at the famed Madison Square Garden, made 10 All-Star teams during his 19-year NBA career and was selected to the league’s 75th anniversary team.

But Melo ultimately disappointed the Knicks, and he only scored 589 points in the playoffs with New York.

Anthony was at his best in the playoffs earlier in his career with Denver.

Once he joined the Knicks, New York made the playoffs three times but never made it past the second round.

Brunson has been superb in orange and blue, spending the 2023-24 season as an MVP candidate and making his first All-Star team.

He averaged 28.7 points on 47.9 percent shooting while connecting on 40.1 percent of his 3-pointers.

But the playoffs best proved Brunson’s value in a hard-to-please New York.

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He entered Game 5 averaging 32.9 points, 7.6 assists and 3.8 rebounds, while leading a New York team that shook off injuries to move closer to two Finals victories of the Eastern Conference.

Consider the fact that Brunson has already scored more points in the playoffs than Anthony, despite only being in New York for two years, and that Villanova’s second-round pick has already put his personal stamp on MSG.

Brunson has become a modern-day basketball hero in New York.

Melo is respected — but it’s clear Knicks fans have always expected more from a big name who never won an NBA title.

Anthony ended up playing for six teams, while his career ended in a slow decline.

“Brunson is already a bigger Knicks legend than Melo,” one fan tweeted.

“Played less playoff games than him too,” posted a second fan.

“Seeing Melo’s legacy slowly fade away is so funny after seeing how self-centered he is,” a third fan wrote.

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“This is really crazy,” said a fourth fan. “Carmelo Anthony really went to New York and accomplished nothing.”

It won’t be easy for Brunson and his Knicks to move on.

Indiana has been a rising force in the East all season and has won back-to-back home games after facing a 2-0 deficit.

Back in New York, Brunson has a huge chance to push the Knicks to the conference finals for the first time since 2000, when Jeff Van Gundy was the coach and Allan Houston the team’s leading scorer.

It’s Brunson’s Knicks now.

The former Dallas Mavericks backup is two wins away from pushing Melo further into New York’s distant past.

And fulfill the promise that Brunson’s father had seen in him when the teenager trained brutally in the open air in his youth.

In just two seasons, Brunson has already become bigger than Melo in the eyes of Knicks fans.