Mavs Ex Jalen Brunson: 'I'll Definitely Miss Dallas,' Ready to Help Knicks' Julius Randle
DALLAS - From the very start of Jalen Brunson's career with the Dallas Mavericks - and we mean starting on NBA Draft night, when then-coach Rick Carlisle proudly proclaimed the second-rounder from Villanova to be a "true pro'' even though Jalen hadn't even tried a uniform yet - the kid "fit.''
And now that he's one of the New York Knicks' latest hires? Yes, once again, professionalism leading workplace chemistry isn't going to be a problem in his new Manhattan office.
Brunson is saying that he will "definitely miss" DFW, via the "Good Word with Goodwill" podcast. But the Knicks gave him $104 million reasons to want to go back home to New York, and now he also can't hide his excitement about collaborating with coach Tom Thibodeau ... and yes, with another guy with DFW connections, Julius Randle.
"Julius is very capable of doing things on the ball," Brunson said. "As long as we're winning games. We've got to try and find ways to win games. I think we have a very good opportunity to do so.''
Though Randle's New York future is anything but clear, Brunson believes that the 2020-21 season's Most Improved Player can return to form. He also believes that the changes in cities, teams and teammates won't prevent him from thriving once more.
"It's going be different for me, it's going to be different for a lot of people,'' Brunson said. "But I've never backed down from a challenge ever and I don't plan on doing so here."
Brunson came up big for the Mavericks during the team's surprising run to the Western Conference Finals last spring. The Knicks' lack of postseason consistency has been well-documented, as the team fell from fourth to 11th in the Eastern Conference playoff standings in their most recent seasonal outing.
Part of the drop-off came from a lack of production at the point guard spot, where the Knicks have been left unsatisfied for several seasons. The team hoped to have Kemba Walker fill the void but he was instead traded after a disappointing single season to help make financial room for Brunson, who is inked for the next four years.
The pressure at point guard rises with head coach Thibodeau back in New York for another year. Brunson brushed off any idea of "blocking out" Thibodeau, as it was presented to him on the podcast.
"I don't think I'm ever going to block him out," Brunson said. "Obviously Thibs is Thibs. I think I've learned how to carry the message out of everything. When someone is getting on you or someone's trying to motivate you to be better, you can't really worry about if he's yelling or screaming or whatever. You've just got to take the message and keep it moving."
"Me knowing Thibs for a long time, he knows that,'' Brunson added. "I can be coached, I can be pushed. I'm not really too worried about that. I'm actually very excited because the fact that this whole thing is coming full circle is actually really special."
Brunson succeeded with different Dallas teammates, Luka Doncic on down. He also succeeded with different coaches, from Carlisle to Jason Kidd. He "takes the message and keeps moving'' ... including moving from Dallas to New York.
