Getty Luka Doncic speaks to a referee during the Western Conference Finals.
Jalen Brunson spent the first four seasons of his career with the Dallas Mavericks before departing and joining the New York Knicks, which means he knows a lot about playing alongside Luka Doncic.
Brunson and Doncic came into the league together, and as a result they have developed together too. Of course, Doncic has turned into a superstar while Brunson has flashed his own star power, but he was likely never going to realize his full potential with Doncic running the show. As a result, he signed with the Knicks where he becomes the starting point guard.
Despite the Mavs wanting to bring Brunson back, him signing with the Knicks was almost a foregone conclusion, and Dallas wasn’t happy about that. Even with a rocky departure, the point guard has nothing but praise for his former running mate Doncic.
Future Hall of Famer
In an interview with USA Today, Brunson revealed he believes Doncic is a future first-ballot Hall of Famer, something he’s far from alone in believing if the pace the Mavs star is on continues.
“I’ve said this numerous times and I’ll continue to say it until I speak it into existence,” he said. “That dude is a first-ballot Hall of Famer.”
Doncic was immediately a 20 points per game scorer as soon as he entered the league, and now that number has skyrocketed to near 30 a game, so him winning a scoring title isn’t out of reach. At just 22 years old, his game isn’t even close to the ceiling, so he can make an even bigger leap as the years go on.
For Brunson, he has a similar opportunity in New York, and there are some out there who are predicting that he can be named to his first All-Star game this year. He’ll have steep competition in the guard-heavy Eastern Conference, especially with emerging names like Tyrese Maxey, Cade Cunningham and Tyler Herro to compete with now to go along with mainstays like Kyrie Irving, James Harden, and now Donovan Mitchell.
Brunson Has a Big Role
While he’s not quite being named as a savoir in New York like Mitchell would’ve been, it’s clear Brunson is a big deal. He’s going to solve the long-running point guard problem that saw Alec Burks and Kemba Walker split time at the position last season.
Part of the reason last year’s offense was so stagnant was the fact that Julius Randle spent so much time running the show. It’s not clear if that’s the reason his efficiency suffer coming off an All-Star year, but his burden will definitely be lightened with Brunson in town.
Something that will also make it easier for everybody is RJ Barrett’s continued development. Now that he’s gotten paid, a major question mark looming over him can be put to rest and he can focus on being the best he can be. Having a playmaking point guard on the team that can get him the ball will help, and there’s also a certain 10-time All-Star who could help be a difference maker.
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