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The New York Knicks toyed around with the idea of pairing Donovan Mitchell and Jalen Brunson in their backcourt last summer. Ultimately, they decided against it because Mitchell’s price was too steep and they wanted to allow Brunson to run the team.
It was a successful bet as Brunson beat Mitchell in the playoffs as the Knicks reached the second round for the first time in a decade. But the Mitchell rumors just won’t go away as long as the four-time All-Star guard hasn’t agreed to an extension with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
“It’s impossible not to see things — rumors and all the stuff that comes up on Twitter and all that stuff every single day is always on TV,” Brunson told The Athletic. “There’s always possibilities when you hear about that stuff. Donovan is a good friend of mine for a while. We were in the same high school class, our relationship goes back a long way. I think right now, I’m more than happy with my guys, and I love my teammates.”
All summer, the Knicks have resisted trading their assets for flawed stars. They are poised to run it back with a minor tweak — Donte DiVincenzo in, Obi Toppin out.
Brunson is perfectly fine with it after he led the same team to two possessions away from forcing a Game 7 in the second round. The Knicks are banking on the continuity and internal development of their young players, led by Brunson, to make another leap.
Jalen Brunson Continues Impressive Run With Team USA
Jalen Brunson nearly had a double-double in his second game running the Team USA as they walloped the Luka Dončić-less Slovenia 92-62 in Malaga, Spain for their second straight exhibition game win.
Brunson had 11 points and a game-high eight assists against only two turnovers in 25 minutes, a solid follow-up to his 11-point, 12-rebound, 3-assist Team USA debut in a 117-74 win over Puerto Rico.
His impressive showing did not get unnoticed.
“This guy (Brunson) can run a basketball team… controls speed, tempo… His understanding of when to push it, when to get others involved, I think that’s the key position for this team,” basketball analyst Bill Raftery said on the FS1 broadcast.
RJ Barrett Makes Stride in Decision-Making
Another Knicks player churned out a solid effort earlier on Saturday, with RJ Barrett delivering 11 points on 4-of-8 shooting in Canada’s 107-76 thrashing of New Zealand in Germany.
Steve Jones, Jr., a former NBA assistant coach and G League head coach, noted Barrett’s improved decision-making.
It was a bounce-back win for Canada, which dropped an 86-81 heartbreaker to Germany in their first warmup game for the FIBA World Cup.
The Knicks’ rising wing added four rebounds, one assist and a steal in only 18 minutes of action against the Tall Blacks. He was plus-14 on the court.
Canada used a huge second quarter to break away from a tight game, outscoring New Zealand 39-14, and never looked back. A Barrett layup with 3:33 left in the second quarter gave Canada a 21-point lead, 53-23, to cap an 18-4 run.
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