This Is a Jalen Brunson Series and Don't Expect Dean Wade to Stop That

Every spring, like clockwork, every team has a so-called Jalen Brunson stopper until it’s time to stop the Knicks captain. The idea of a Brunson stopper is more of a myth like Bigfoot or the Loch Ness Monster.

Last year, first up was Ausar Thompson, who is considered by many the best defender the NBA has to offer. Brunson averaged 31.5 points and put him on a swivel to clinch the Knicks first-round series against the Detroit Pistons.

JALEN BRUNSON JUST BROKE AUSAR THOMPSON’S ANKLES TO HIT THE GAME-WINNING THREE TO WIN THE SERIES! 🪣

CLUTH PLAYER OF THE YEAR! 🏆 pic.twitter.com/78p7Os9yU0
— Courtside Buzz (@CourtsideBuzzX) May 2, 2025

Then there was Jrue Holiday and Derrick White of the Celtics. Brunson averaged 26 points in helping the Knicks knock off the defending champions. For two consecutive springs, the Pacers tried slowing Brunson down with Andrew Nembhard and Aaron Nesmith. Despite losing both matchups with them, Brunson put up 30 points per game game both times.

This spring, the Hawks thought they’d stop Brunson with Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Dyson Daniels, who’s so known for his defensive prowess that he's earned the nicknamed "The Great Barrier Thief". Brunson averaged 26 points in helping the Knicks dispatch the Hawks in six games.

Elite scorers like Brunson can be contained, but not stopped

Then all the hype was around the Sixers throwing rookie V. J. Edgecombe and veteran Kelly Oubre on Brunson, who fried that duo to the tune of 29 points per game en route to a historic Knicks sweep. Now they’re saying Dean Wade is the guy the Cleveland Cavaliers have who is up for the task of keeping Brunson in Alcatraz.

The Wichita, Kansas, native is farm boy strong and equipped to absorb the punishment that Brunson doles out on his drives to the hoop. Brunson has had his moments dealing with bigger and stronger defenders. He also had some problems with Wade during the regular season.

The six-foot-nine forward held Brunson to just 1-of-15 from the floor and only six points in the 52 possessions in which he was the primary defender on Brunson during three regular season matchups, per NBA.com. Among the 26 defenders that Brunson attempted at least 12 shots against, Wade was the only player to hold him to single-digit points.

The NBA's tracking data is notoriously debatable and that’s a pretty small sample size, especially considering Brunson averaged 26 points in those games. It's also important to note that these Knicks are a far different team from the regular season. Brunson is going to be off the ball so much more and Wade’s going to have to deal with the role of switching the newfound Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns pick-and-rolls.

To put into context how different New York's offensive process has been, only 56% of Brunson's made field goals in this postseason (55 of 98) have come with him on ball -- post ups, ISOs, P&Rs. Last year, that number was 71% (128 of 181), per Jason Timpf of Hoops Tonight.

The Cavaliers want to turn Brunson into a facilitator, but he's already doing that. During their second-round matchup with the 76ers, the Knicks averaged 283 passes per game, which was their highest in any series during the Brunson era. Meanwhile, their first-round meeting with the Hawks marked their second highest, per Lev Akabas of Sportico.

Coach Kenny Atkinson will have a few other options in trying to contain the head of the snake with the likes of Max Strus, Keon Ellis and old friend Dennis Schroder. Some of those guys have held their own against Brunson in the past, but good luck to them.

It will take a village to slow Brunson down

The fact is, Brunson is one of the best playoff performers ever. His 25.6 points per game average in the playoffs is tied with Kobe Bryant for 19th all time among all players to ever play at least 50 playoff games. In 52 playoff games wearing the orange and blue, Brunson has averaged 29.4 points per game.

Does a Brunson stopper exist ? The answer is no and most definitely not Dean Freakin' Wade.

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