Jalen Brunson’s time with the Mavericks is over, but he takes with him some fond memories from his stint with the franchise. The 33rd pick of the 2018 NBA Draft, Brunson had his best year as a professional in 2021-22 as he averaged 16.3 points to go with 4.8 assists per game, and he followed it up by averaging 21.6 points per game during the playoffs.
The highlight during their surprise run to the Western Conference Finals for Brunson was his sensational play against the Jazz in the first round. With Luka Doncic out due to injury, many felt that the Mavs were doomed, but Brunson had other ideas. He averaged 32 points per game in the first 3 games to give them a 2-1 lead without Luka, and they ultimately ended up prevailing in six games. Brunson was asked about that series during a recent appearance on JJ Redick’s podcast, and he said they knew the Jazz would break at some point.
(starts at the 2:10 mark):
“We knew that if we just stuck together, they’re gonna break at some point and you saw videos of them yelling at each other and things like that during the game 3 or 4 or whatever. And like even when they tied it back 2-2, we were like good, we’re good. We’re losing because of the simple little things that we know that we can fix and then we fix them in Game 5 and 6. We just have the utmost confidence in each other, we knew we can do it, and obviously, once Luka came back, then it was all said and done.”
It is hard to argue with Brunson’s assessment here on the Jazz, as they were on the verge of collapse. Quin Snyder ended up resigning from the head coaching role last month, and the team traded away Rudy Gobert earlier this month.
Donovan Mitchell might also be on his way out, and he could end up on the Knicks with Brunson, as trade rumors persist regarding the Jazz star. Whether Mitchell ends up in New York or not, Brunson would be confident in helping the team bounce back from a disappointing 2021-22 campaign. During the podcast, he said he wanted to stay with the Mavericks but had to make a business decision when the Knicks came calling with their massive offer. Brunson has a lot to live up to now, and we’ll soon find out if he is up for that challenge.
