He’s the Knicks’ best player in this conference semi-final, and it’s no surprise that keeps them alive in this series against the Heat! Tonight, Jalen Brunson thrilled Madison Square Garden by signing one of his best career games at the best time: 38 points, 9 rebounds and 7 assists. All while losing a single ball in… 48 minutes!
“You have to respect him as a competitor and for his ability to do the job. And tonight he was able to get the job done with big actions, big actions.” summarizes Erik Spoelstra, after the victory of the Knicks.
Faithful to his short rotations, Tom Thibodeau therefore did not blow him out of the match, and Brunson accepts it. ” We hadn’t talked about it. Whatever it takes, I’ll do it. Everyone will do it” replies Brunson about his monster playing time.
On an individual level, we will remember his permanent aggressiveness whether it is a question of overflowing Gabe Vincent or Kyle Lowry, or of going to provoke the interiors of the Heat. Like a bull, he broke the first curtain to put the Miami players on their heels. “We can’t hide in such a moment. We have to go there and attack” he explained the morning after the shootaround. “Okay, we’ll be nervous. OK, we’ll be anxious. But on the field, you have to give everything! »
Brunson is all the time all the time
And that’s what he did as a real playmaker, but also a real leader. Brunson leads by example, and others follow.
“What can we say about this guy? » asks Thibodeau at a press conference. “He’s just an incredible all-around player. A super leader, with great toughness. Mental toughness, physical toughness… He thinks like he breathes, and he brings out the best in everyone. That’s what makes it unique. »
Yet Brunson is not 100%. However, this is the 92nd game of the season. But he plays as if it were the last, and if his life depended on it. “What I like about him is that he prepares for that… I’ve never seen anyone work like him, whether in a match or in the gym. He always plays like in a match, and that allows him to never adjust. He is an incredible leader! » concludes Thibodeau.
| Jalen Brunson | Percentage | Bounces | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Crew | GM | Minimum | Shots | 3 points | LF | Off | Def | Early | pd | party | Int | bp | CT | Points |
| 2018-19 | DAL | 73 | 22 | 46.7 | 34.8 | 72.5 | 0.3 | 2.0 | 2.3 | 3.2 | 1.7 | 0.5 | 1.2 | 0.1 | 9.3 |
| 2019-20 | DAL | 57 | 18 | 46.6 | 35.8 | 81.3 | 0.4 | 2.0 | 2.4 | 3.3 | 1.3 | 0.4 | 1.2 | 0.1 | 8.2 |
| 2020-21 | DAL | 68 | 25 | 52.3 | 40.5 | 79.5 | 0.4 | 3.0 | 3.4 | 3.5 | 1.6 | 0.5 | 1.2 | 0.0 | 12.6 |
| 2021-22 | DAL | 79 | 32 | 50.2 | 37.3 | 84.0 | 0.5 | 3.4 | 3.9 | 4.8 | 1.9 | 0.8 | 1.6 | 0.0 | 16.3 |
| 2022-23 | NYK | 68 | 35 | 49.1 | 41.6 | 82.9 | 0.6 | 3.0 | 3.5 | 6.2 | 2.2 | 0.9 | 2.1 | 0.2 | 24.0 |
| Total | 345 | 27 | 49.3 | 38.6 | 81.2 | 0.5 | 2.7 | 3.1 | 4.2 | 1.8 | 0.6 | 1.5 | 0.1 | 14.3 | |
How to read the stats? MJ = matches played; Min = Minutes; Shots = Shots made / Shots attempted; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; Off = offensive rebound; Def= defensive rebound; Tot = Total bounces; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost bullets; Ct: Counters; Points = Points.
