Jalen Brunson didn’t recall meeting many other people who shared his name until reaching high school, but started hearing it more in college. No matter how many other Jalens hit the scene, though, Rick Brunson wouldn’t let his son forget about his eponymous teammate, who has gone on to inspire a younger generation not only through his name and basketball career, but also through philanthropic work as well. “It’s pretty cool to see someone like that with the impact on and off the court and the things he’s doing in his community back home,” Brunson said. “It’s pretty special so I’ve definitely got a sense of pride.”
Jalen Brunson Rumors
All NBA Players
Position: G
Born: 08/31/96
Height: 6-1 / 1.85
Weight:190 lbs. / 86.2 kg.
Salary: $1,663,861
Born: 08/31/96
Height: 6-1 / 1.85
Weight:190 lbs. / 86.2 kg.
Salary: $1,663,861
New York eyeing Jalen Brunson?
Brunson, who scored 15 points with seven assists and five rebounds in a win over the Knicks on April 2, has a non-guaranteed year left on his pact. The Mavericks, whom the Knicks visit on Friday night, could let Brunson become a restricted free agent and match any offer this summer. Or they could let him become an unrestricted free agent in 2022. The guard is the son of former Knick Rick Brunson. The Knicks have had their eye on Jalen Brunson, whose father was one of Thibodeau’s assistant coaches with the Bulls and Timberwolves.
The Dallas Mavericks received calls before the March 25 trade deadline regarding backup guard Jalen Brunson, but they were not interested in dealing the ex-Villanova star. ESPN’s Brian Windhorst relayed that news on his Brian Windhorst & The Hoop Collective podcast (h/t RealGM Wiretap). “By the way, I heard that around the trade deadline the Mavericks got some calls about Jalen Brunson. And it basically like ‘Luka’s obviously untouchable and Jalen is pretty much untouchable. If you’re going to offer LeBron, we’ll listen.’ “He’s being viewed as a foundational core piece going forward.”
“I set good screens and he’ll do the rest,” Boban said of working with Luka. “He’ll either find someone or score. It’s Luka magic. He can do everything.” Boban isn’t required to do everything. But the things he does, he can do very, very well. And his teammates are noticing. “He’s doing great,” said Jalen Brunson. “Boban, he has to be mentally strong. Coach asks him to do a lot of great things for us. He’s a very mentally strong guy. He just does what he does for us and we’re thankful to have him.”
