In recent seasons, Jalen Brunson has emerged as one of the very best players in the NBA. After spending his first four seasons with the Dallas Mavericks, usually as Luka Doncic's backup, he signed with the New York Knicks in free agcney and has broken out as a superstar.
As he prepares to face Rick Carlisle and the Indiana Pacers, Carlisle reflected on Brunson's emergence. Before taking over as head coach of the Pacers for the second time, Carlisle coached Brunson on the Mavericks during his first three NBA seasons.
"I don't think anybody was expecting quite this, but I'm not surprised," said Carlisle of Brunson's continued improvement.
"This is a kid that's had a lot of people who didn't believe in him all the way up the ladder. I talked to his college coach about this sometime when I was in Dallas. I talked to Jay (Wright), and Jay said that this kid is a bulldog about his belief in himself. He was great for us in Dallas, and he was a guy that could really score, and he was really smart defensively. Don't think anybody in the whole world saw him becoming a megastar that he has in New York. But I'm not surprised that he has, because he's always been determined. He's a total winner. He's a great leader, and don't bet against resourcefulness and grit."
The Mavericks chose not to extend Brunson a competitive offer after his rookie deal expired, and he signed a fair contract with the Knicks, quickly taking over as the face of the franchise.
After dragging the Knicks to their first Conference Finals appearance since 2000, there are already talks about Brunson being one of the greatest Knicks ever, although the deep Pacers still stand in their way of finally making it back to the NBA Finals.
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