Jalen Brunson Credits New York Knicks Teammates For Player of the Week Honor
It's called "Player" of the Week, but Jalen Brunson sees it as a team award.
Brunson, the New York Knicks' primary point guard thanked his teammates for their assistance in earning the Eastern Conference's weekly accolade, his second since joining the team on a four-year, $104 million contract in the summer of 2022
"It means a lot but I wouldn't be doing the things I'm doing without my teammates," Brunson said in video from the Knicks. "I think it's very important the way they have my back and the way we're able to go in the games and win games, most importantly. That's how those individual accolades come about, so it's all about us winning. That's all I care about."
Over last week's action, part of a five-game Knicks road trip, Brunson led the Knicks to a 3-1 record and averaged 28.5 points, 6.5 assists, and 3.5 rebounds in 38.1 minutes. He shot 47.6 percent from the field and 54.3 percent from deep in that span.
Jalen Brunson dropped 32 points in a win against the Washington Wizards.
Geoff Burke, USA TODAY SPORTS
Brunson's offensive outburst partly helped get the Knicks' season back on track: they were 2-4 over their first six in the midst of early shooting struggles but have since won six of their past eight. The Villanova alum, who also earned last February's Eastern Conference Player of the Month honor, continues to live up to and exceed every expectation placed upon him when the Knicks granted him the first nine-figure deal of his career.
“I’m just playing how the defense is playing me,” Brunson said of the recent success, per Fred Katz of The Athletic. “(I) just have a lot of confidence in myself. My teammates have a lot of confidence in me, so I think it’s important for me to be the best player I can be and I know they have my back.”
Brunson and the Knicks (8-6) return to action on Friday night when they face the Miami Heat in In-Season Tournament play (7:30 p.m. ET, MSG/ESPN).
