For the first few years of his NBA career, Jalen Brunson operated in the shadows.
Considered too slow and too small, the point guard came off the bench for most of his first three seasons with the Mavericks, improving but only marginally.
Dallas featured Luka Doncic, who was in Brunson’s draft class but otherwise in a different league.
Doncic was Rookie of the Year in 2018-19, was named to the All-NBA First Team the following three seasons, and became a scorer almost immediately when he stepped on the court.
Brunson’s real breakthrough as a player was when he emerged as a starter for the Mavericks, posting a scoring threat (16.3 points per game), earning votes for Most Valuable Player Award, and becoming Doncic’s capable sidekick on the team. It did not arrive until the 2021-22 season. He made it to the Western Conference Finals.
Knicks fans know what happened next.
The jump to New York and a second jump in his game put Brunson on another level of the league’s hierarchy – a hierarchy that is solidifying this weekend.
In his second and sixth season with the Knicks, Brunson was named an All-Star for the first time.
He developed into a top player on a quality team, but the role seemed incomprehensible to most outsiders ever since Brunson was drafted in the second round by Villanova.
But Brunson himself said he knew he could be one of those stars if given the chance.
“Ever since I was a kid, I’ve strived to be the best player in every aspect of my game, but it’s more important to understand my role,” Brunson told reporters in Indianapolis. Saturday, before participating in that night’s 3-point contest. “So, naturally, when you’re working on something, it’s going to sit in your back pocket and wait until you actually need to use it. But I’m willing to grow and learn…to help the team win. I believe that what role I play is most important.
“I always knew that if I had the chance, I would give it my all. I never said I knew I would be here. [at All-Star Weekend], but I knew I would be able to do something someday. ”
The Knicks believed so, too.
Brunson, whose four-year, $104 million contract seemed expensive until it looked like a steal, will be the only team representative (due to an injury to Julius Randle) in Sunday’s All-Star Game.
In a career best described as improvement, Brunson stepped up his game again this season.
The 27-year-old is averaging a career-best 27.6 points on 48.3 percent from the field and 41.1 percent from deep, along with 6.5 assists and 3.8 rebounds per game.
He did everything for the team that needed him. Brunson ranks eighth in the NBA in minutes played, fourth in points and 13th in assists.
The Knicks point guard curse is over.
“Seeing the city, the reaction of the city, and how they’ve embraced me, it’s incredible,” Brunson said.
Jalen, the son of Rick Brunson (currently a Knicks assistant and former point guard), understands what the city is like when the Knicks are doing well.
For the first time in decades, the Knicks have legitimate title hopes. The Knicks entered the break in fourth place in the Eastern Conference despite taking a big hit.
Branson said the best part of the glorious weekend was being able to share it with her family, calling it a “full circle” moment.
“I remember being in the league as a kid and always dreaming of having an opportunity like this,” Brunson said, “and now here I am.”
Brunson said his family and coach — who he calls Tom Thibodeau a gym rat who is on the court when he shoots in the morning and stays there when Brunson returns at night — make him the most likely player. He praised him for helping him realize his dream of becoming one of the All-Stars. Performer.
“I think [being an underdog is] Some of the mantras [drafted in] Round two,” Brunson said. “You feel like you’ve been ignored at some point in some way. You can do whatever you have to do to get to the next level…It’s a matter of mindset.
“I was lucky to be raised by parents who instilled that kind of thinking in me.”
