Jalen Brunson has truly blossomed into a shining star in the 2023-24 season, steering the New York Knicks towards the top of the Eastern Conference, all while playing the best hoops of his life. But even before his debut with the Knicks following his free-agent signing in the summer of 2022, there was this general feeling that Brunson might just cap out as a solid, dependable starting point guard.
I mean, how else do you explain New York snagging him up for the steal of a deal—four years at $104 million? Or the Dallas Mavericks not only declining to match that offer but also refusing to pony up for the four-year, $55 million extension Brunson was aiming for before hitting free agency?
It’s pretty evident now that Mark Cuban and the Mavericks totally missed the mark by not locking Brunson in as a long-term partner alongside their franchise stud, Luka Doncic. It’s a blunder they’re still trying to recover from. But hey, at least Dallas isn’t alone in underestimating Brunson’s talent and his potential ceiling, especially in comparison to his former superstar teammate.
During an appearance on All The Smoke, Brunson reminisced about his early days with Doncic when they both entered the league as Mavericks rookies in 2018-19.
“He just strolled in, making everything look so effortless. Meanwhile, there’s me, thinking I’ve got to hustle every single day, gotta do this, gotta do that, just to make an impression,” Brunson recalled. “Then we’d hit the court for pickup games, and it was like he was in slow motion, doing whatever he pleased. I’m over here, trying to control the game, play my style, and he’s just on a whole other planet. Day one, I’m like, ‘This guy is good.’ But then I’m also like, ‘Damn, this guy is GOOD. Do I even belong here?’ That’s the kind of doubt he planted in my mind, just by being that exceptional.”