All-Star guard Jalen Brunson made the best decision of his career when he left Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks to join the New York Knicks in 2022.
Since then, Brunson (1,633) has amassed more points in the postseason than Nikola Jokic (1,466), Jayson Tatum (1,383) and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (1,322)—and more than twice the total of Doncic (786), who, outside of his 2024 NBA Finals run, hasn’t enjoyed much success in the postseason.
As Brunson continues to establish himself as arguably a top-5 player in the world, Antonio Daniels and Max Kellerman delivered a hot take on the “Game Over” podcast.
‘Jalen Brunson Over Luka Doncic’
Asked who he’d rather trust in a championship pursuit, 1999 Spurs champion Antonio Daniels explained why he prefers Brunson over Doncic.
“I would say Brunson,” Daniels responded. “And that reason I’d say that is because I’ve seen Brunson play with and without the ball.
“As talented as Luka is, and he is crazy talented — he can score from anywhere on the floor and is an excellent passer. But I haven’t seen him play where his usage is low.”
Further to Daniels’ point, Brunson has altered his game to fit into a more democratic Knicks offense under Mike Brown, in which the likes of Karl-Anthony Towns and Josh Hart have been used as offensive hubs. Brunson has also shown the ability to run off of screens and shoot the basketball — in the vein of Stephen Curry and the Warriors.
“The good thing we’re seeing about Jalen Brunson right now is his usage rate is low, and he’s off the ball a lot, ” Daniels said of the Knicks star.
Daniels: “The reason I’d say that is because I’ve seen Brunson play with and without the ball.”
Max: “I agree!”
(via Game Over)
Luka Doncic Disrespected?
Doncic, the fourth youngest player to make six All-NBA First Teams, is obviously the more accomplished player than Brunson. However, Daniels and Kellerman may be onto something with their theory — especially if Brunson leads the Knicks to a NBA title.
“I don’t blame Luka for [his high usage],” Daniels clarified. ” I wonder how he’d look playing next to a young LeBron James.”
Doncic obviously won’t get a chance to silence his detractors until next season, when he may have more weapons at his disposal to make a deep playoff run. The Lakers, who can potentially create nearly $50M in cap space, will retrofit the roster to suit Doncic’s skillset, as revealed by GM Rob Pelinka earlier this month.
“The archetype of the roster that we want is going to be retrofitted around Luka and the things he needs,” Pelinka said, via The Athletic. “Clearly, he’s that leader and that player for the future that we want to build the right way around.”
Pelinka also hinted that the Lakers will pursue athletic big men and 3-and-D- wings — the exact type of players Doncic thrived with during his time with the Mavericks.
In the meantime, all the glory and bragging rights belong to Brunson and the Knicks, who will face either the Spurs or Thunder in Game 1 of the NBA Finals on June 3.
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