Jalen Brunson: ‘Luka Doncic Should Be First-Ballot Hall of Famer’
Until last season, Jalen Brunson thought he’d stay with the Dallas Mavericks for his entire career. However, it wasn’t meant to be, as he left the Mavs for the New York Knicks in free agency on a $104 million contract.
Although Brunson isn’t on the Mavs’ roster anymore, he still has a high level of respect for his former superstar teammate Luka Doncic. Together, Doncic and Brunson led the Mavs to the Western Conference Finals last season. Brunson saw enough from Doncic during his four seasons in Dallas to form a very strong opinion about his Hall of Fame candidacy.
During an interview with USA Today's Sports Seriously, Brunson revealed that opinion and talked about what it was like to play with Doncic over the last few years.
“It wasn’t really difficult (to play alongside him) because you knew what it was. Luka is such a great talent. He can do anything on the court," said Brunson. "I think, for me, I kind of figured out how to play with him because he’s so dominant. He knows how to play the game, he knows how to help his team win. I truly loved playing with him because we were in a position to win every night, because of him.
"I’ve said this numerous times and I’ll continue to say it until I speak it into existence; That dude is a first-ballot Hall of Famer.”
Although losing Brunson might hurt the Mavs this season if they can’t find another secondary playmaker to add to their bench, having a player of Doncic’s caliber fully healthy and in great shape will always give them a chance to beat any opponent on any given night.
You can follow Dalton Trigg on Twitter at @dalton_trigg
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