Jalen Brunson Reflects on Lessons from Jay Wright
Years after leaving Villanova, the influence of Jay Wright still resonates with Jalen Brunson.
“One thing he always emphasized was that attitude was everywhere: on the walls, the shirts, even in our jerseys,” Brunson shared, recalling his former coach. “He taught us to control our attitude. I don’t mention that as much anymore, but I think my perspective is that you can manage what’s within your reach.”
This mindset has been crucial to Brunson’s success. Although he was a second-round draft pick despite winning two national titles and earning the National Player of the Year award in 2018, it wasn’t until his fourth NBA season that he really made his mark as a starter. When he joined the Knicks, some questioned whether he deserved his salary.
Filtering out distractions, whether positive or negative, has been vital for his rise.
“Controlling your attitude and effort is key, and Coach Wright drove that home consistently,” Brunson remarked. “That was always the message at the end of huddles, at the beginning of practices and games. Once we bought into that, things became a lot smoother.”
Brunson isn’t alone as a former Villanova standout on the Knicks; teammates Josh Hart and Mikal Bridges also share that history.
They aim to join an exclusive group as the fifth set of teammates to have won both NBA and NCAA championships together.
Historically, players like Derek Anderson and Antwone Walker (Kentucky, Heat), Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Lucius Allen (UCLA, Bucks), John Havlicek and Larry Siegfried (Ohio State, Celtics), and Bill Russell and KC Jones (San Francisco, Celtics) have achieved this.
Mike Brown commented, “You can see that Coach Wright has instilled excellent qualities in his players. They’re selfless, competitive, and focused on the right things. They’re simply great to be around.”
He added, “While Coach Wright wasn’t solely responsible for their development, coaching players who learned under him made my job a lot easier. Their leadership rubbed off on everyone, creating a fantastic team environment.”
