Getty Jalen Brunson #11 of the New York Knicks celebrates after scoring.
Jalen Brunson was sensational, picking up from where he left off in last year’s NBA Playoffs as he continued to torment Donovan Mitchell.
Brunson scored 21 of his 27 points in the second half, including two clutch baskets to lift the New York Knicks over Mitchell and the Cleveland Cavaliers in a gritty 101-97 win on the road Saturday night.
Former NBA champion-turned-ESPN analyst Kendrick Perkins tweeted, “Time to move the [conversation] along.”
“Jalen Brunson is no longer the feel-good underdog, underrated story. He is who he is, and that’s one of the best in the league at his position that grinded his way there, like Jimmy Butler. Carry the hell on,” Perkins said on Twitter.
Brunson’s coming out party came at the expense of Mitchell last season, when he led the Dallas Mavericks to a 2-1 series lead with Luka Doncic sidelined by an injury. Brunson took off and never looked back.
His descending $104 million, four-year deal he signed with the Knicks last summer is proving to be a steal and the most impactful signing of the season. According to ProfitX, an analytics company tracking athletes’ real-time contract value, Brunson is playing like a supermax star with a real-time value of $40 million per season.
The Knicks will pay Brunson $27.7 million this season. It will decline in the next three years — $26.3 million next season, $24.9 million in the third year and a player option of $24.9 million in the final year of the deal.
Brunson’s calming leadership, shotmaking and playmaking have dramatically vaulted the Knicks into a serious playoff contender.
ESPN’s Mike Wilbon Blasts Mavs for Letting Jalen Brunson Walk Away
The Mavericks went from a Western Conference finalist to a lottery team since Brunson left them for the Knicks.
They failed to lock up Brunson for a much cheaper deal worth $55.5 million over four years in the summer before his breakout season. Still, they wouldn’t commit before the trade deadline even as Brunson showed a dramatic improvement as his final season in Dallas went on.
“Jalen Brunson, still after this whole season, underrated,” ESPN’s Mike Wilbon said at halftime during the Sacramento Kings and Golden State Warriors first-round series opener. “And if you are the Dallas Mavericks front office and you’re watching any of this, you have to just feel stupid. I mean to let that kid go? [He’s] Entering the prime of his career, ramping up. It’s amazing. He’s tremendous.”
“Jalen Brunson, still after this whole season, underrated. And if you are the Dallas Mavericks front office & you’re watching any of this, you have to just feel stupid. I mean to let *that* kid go?…It’s amazing. He’s tremendous”
–– ESPN Michael Wilbon
Mavericks owner Mark Cuban blamed Jalen’s father, Rick Brunson, for messing up the negotiation.
Jalen Brunson Gets His First FOCO Bobblehead
Brunson’s star turn this season led to his first SLAM Magazine cover and now, his first ever FOCO Bobblehead.
FOCOJalen Brunson Bobblehead courtesy of FOCO.
A FOCO representative told Heavy Sports that “Knicks fans had been requesting we make [a Brunson bobblehead] since they signed him.”
And now, Brunson has arrived.
The 8-inch tall bobblehead features Brunson in an action pose wearing the team’s alternate “Statement Jersey.” His name is displayed in front with the Knicks logo in the center. The backboard features the New York Skyline, and the bottom of the base has Brunson’s number on it.
Brunson’s first ever Bobblehead is a collector’s item as it will only be limited to 123 units and will retail for $75. It’s now available for pre-order at FOCO’s official website.