Draymond Green Lauds Jalen Brunson, Knicks After Win Over Warriors
It's hard enough for Draymond Green's teammates to earn his props, so the New York Knicks must've done something truly impressive on Monday night.
The Knicks' famed Villanova triumvirate paved the way for the team's latest victory, a 119-112 triumph over Green's Golden State Warriors. Jalen Brunson scored 34 points, Josh Hart had a triple-double in 48 minutes played, and Donte DiVincenzo scored 18 in his first game back at Chase Center since signing with New York over the summer.
That was enough to earn Green's respect on the latest edition of his eponymous YouTube series, where he also complemented Miles McBride's career night.
“Them boys look good,” Green said. "(You've) got to take your hat off to them, regardless of all the injuries they’ve been dealing with, they are playing at a very, very high level."
Green was particularly impressed by the development of Brunson, whom he referred to as "the head of the snake." He and the Warriors were among the first witnesses of Brunson's mainstream breakout as a member of the Dallas Mavericks during the 2022 postseason.
Though Golden State downed Dallas in the Western Conference Finals en route to a championship, Brunson did what he could to delay the relatively inevitable, averaging 18 points and 4.6 rebounds in the five-game set. Dallas likely would've never made it that far if not for Brunson, who took over the early stages of the Maverick playoff run when franchise face Luka Doncic was injured.
Green drew Brunson duty in that series and held him in check but there was no stopping the former Mav on Monday: after McBride paced the Knicks to an early advantage, Brunson scored 20 points in the second half on 6-of-11 shooting to ensure the wire-to-wire victory. Green was impressed by the way Brunson has grown since they did postseason battle nearly two years ago.
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“He is playing at an all-NBA level. It’s good to see him getting his due that he’s getting," Green, who was held to 1-of-7 from the field on Monday, said. "I played Jalen Brunson, we did, in the playoffs a couple of years ago with Dallas. That was a totally different player."
"He was really good then, so I’m not going act like he was a bum then. He was really good then, so much so that in that playoff series, he was my matchup," Green continued. "So he’s been good, but I’m not sure any of us thought he’d be this. It’s been fun to watch. JB is one of those guys that you cheer for because he’s humble.”
Brunson's efforts have sustained the Knicks (41-27) in the wake of several injuries in the starting five. He has already been rewarded with his first NBA All-Star Game invite and some observers, like Green, believe an All-NBA nod isn't far off.
Throughout the process, Brunson has been quick to label the Knicks' success a team effort, and Green made sure to recognize the efforts of the rest of New York's Wildcat litter: he praised "my guy DiVo" for taking advantage of an extended opportunity and couldn't stop gushing about Hart, praising the Knicks for obtaining his services from the Portland Trail Blazers for a "pack of peanuts."
“Josh Hart is playing out of his mind,” Green said. “When I say out of his mind, I don’t mean that in a disrespectful way. I don’t mean that like he’s not capable. But I think Josh Hart has four triple-doubles in the last two or three weeks. He’s playing incredible basketball."
Normally used as a depth star, Hart has filled in for injured starters OG Anunoby and Julius Randle. Since entering the starting five on Jan. 29, Hart has averaged 12.7 points and 11.3 points. That span has also featured the first four triple-doubles of his career, including an 11-rebound, 11-assist, 10-point tally on Monday in San Francisco.
"Josh does all the little things. He rebounds, he passes, he defends, he pushes the tempo ... he's crashing the glass every single time ... he played 48 minutes (on Monday), couldn't tell he played 48 minutes. He didn't seem tired one time."
The Knicks' next chance to impress lands on Thursday night when they'll look to sweep a four-game road trip against the defending champion Denver Nuggets (9 p.m. ET, MSG).
