Jalen Brunson has earned significant recognition this postseason as the 6-foot-2 guard from Villanova continues to lead a talented New York Knicks team.
At this point, his team leads the San Antonio Spurs 2-0, with two games arriving in New York City, where the Knicks could conceivably complete their mission and claim the shiny Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy.
Due to Brunson’s contributions throughout the series, he could be on the way to claiming an NBA Finals MVP Award, adding to the MVP awards he earned for his team’s Cup win during the regular season and again after winning the Eastern Conference Finals.
However, the two-time All-Star didn’t always receive the recognition he deserved for his play or his potential to lead a championship-contending team, as he has in these NBA Playoffs.
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Brunson wasn’t a top 10 pick, or even a first-round selection. Instead, the Villanova guard fell into the second round and ultimately went No. 33 to the Dallas Mavericks in 2018.
“Everything,” Brunson told reporters at a recent media session when asked what NBA scouts missed about him back then.
Brunson is a two-time NCAA Champion under former Villanova head coach Jay Wright, winning championships in 2016 and 2018. He also won the Bob Cousy Award, Lute Olson Award, and was a consensus First-Team All-American in 2018.
It’s surprising, and many college and international draft prospects often get overlooked despite their accolades. Many scouts look for players whom they believe have future potential, but other aspects play a part, including size, NBA Combine results, and interviews.
One could say that all the teams that passed on him, and the Mavs, who traded him, may have fueled him to further prove himself in the league and in New York.
Brunson is now looking to join another active player, Nikola Jokic, as a successful second-round pick who emerged as a star and led their team to a championship. The Serbian superstar, selected No. 41 in 2014, helped the Denver Nuggets win their title in 2023 and has also claimed three NBA MVP Awards during his career.
Some of the players who went ahead of Brunson in the 2018 NBA Draft included former Mavs teammate Luka Doncic and current Knicks teammate Mikal Bridges. In terms of point guards, Trae Young, Collin Sexton, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander all went in the first round.
One could argue that Brunson has at least emerged better than Sexton and Young, especially with a 13-game postseason winning streak and his team on the verge of claiming the Knicks franchise’s third NBA championship.
The Knicks and Spurs meet in Game 3 of the NBA Finals at 8:30 p.m. ET on Monday.
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