Jalen Brunson spent the first four seasons of his NBA career with the Dallas Mavericks and has a lot of fond memories from his time with the franchise. On the latest episode of the Roommates Show, Brunson was asked to share the best ones, and here’s what he went with.
“Definitely that first-round series (against the Utah Jazz in 2022),” Brunson said. “And obviously that whole playoff run, getting to the Western Conference finals in my fourth year.
“Obviously it wasn’t in Dallas, the first game was in Phoenix my rookie year,” Brunson continued. “We played in Phoenix, and I was preparing not to play because we had Devin Harris. We had J.J. (Barea) coming off the bench, so I’m thinking those guys then obviously Luka [Doncic] and Dennis Smith starting… I just don’t see myself playing right now.”
“I think Devin Harris pulls his hamstring and gets hurt, and so I get thrown out there like in the second quarter,” Brunson added. “…My first shot was an airball, so I’m like, ‘Alright, well, things can’t get any worse than this’ and then we were down a little bit, then we cut the lead to like one possession or whatever, I hit a three in the fourth quarter for my first basket, and like, I mean, obviously having your first basket in the pros is something memorable.”
(starts at 9:52 mark):
That first basket sure is quite memorable for every hooper. That shot Brunson made, cut what was once a double-digit lead for the Phoenix Suns down to 94-90 in the fourth quarter, but the Mavericks were unable to complete the comeback and lost 121-100.
That three-pointer ended up being Brunson’s only make for the game, as he ended the contest with 3 points, 1 rebound, and 1 assist in just over 19 minutes. That was a lot more game time than he expected and he would go on to feature quite a bit for the Mavericks as a rookie.
Brunson, who was drafted with the 33rd pick of the 2018 NBA Draft, played in 73 games in 2018-19 and started 38 of them. He averaged 9.3 points, 2.3 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and 0.5 steals per game in the campaign and you got the impression back then that he could probably be a solid role player in the NBA.
It was only during the 2022 postseason, that the basketball world realized that Brunson might have what it takes to be a star in the NBA. The 28-year-old brought up the first-round series against the Utah Jazz in the clip and he was simply sensational in it.
The Mavericks were without Luka Doncic for the start of that series due to a calf injury and Brunson stepped up in a big way in his absence. After they lost Game 1 at home, he poured in 41 points in Game 2 to ensure they didn’t fall down 0-2.
Then in Game 3 on the road, Brunson scored 31 points as the Mavericks reclaimed home-court advantage in the series. Doncic finally returned in Game 4 and they would eventually win that series in six games. The Mavericks then dispatched the top-seeded Suns in seven games in the Conference Semifinals to surprisingly make it to the Western Conference Finals.
They lost in five games to the Golden State Warriors there but Brunson had impressed one and all by then. He averaged 21.6 points, 4.6 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and 0.8 blocks per game in that run and would go from strength to strength from then on.
Unfortunately for the Mavericks, Brunson wasn’t suiting up for them after the 2022 playoffs. He signed a four-year, $104 million deal with the New York Knicks in free agency and has now become one of the best point guards in the NBA.
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