Ex-Mavs Jalen Brunson Among NBA's Most Improved Player Finalists

Former Dallas Mavericks star Jalen Brunson earned his way into being a finalist for the NBA's Most Improved Player of the Year with the New York Knicks.

DALLAS — After departing from the Dallas Mavericks in free agency last summer, Jalen Brunson put together the most productive season of his NBA career with the New York Knicks. He is making the most of his four-year, $104 million contract as the floor general.

After averaging 24.0 points and 6.2 assists during the regular season, Brunson played his way into being a finalist for the NBA's Most Improved player of the Year Award. He boosted his averages for points (7.7) and assists (1.4) by substantial margins, making him clearly one of the top options.    

The other finalists for the award include Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Lauri Markkanen, both of whom made the leap to being All-Stars this season. Brunson was the only player on the list that didn't earn that honor. 

While it's always an honor for any player to be nominated for a regular season award, Brunson's focus naturally will be on leading the fifth-seed Knicks when they face off against the Cleveland Cavaliers. The first game of Brunson's first-round series is on Saturday at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse.

Brunson's previous two postseason appearances during his Mavs career showcased his ability to continually improve. He went from a disappointing series against the LA Clippers in 2021, to being one of the NBA's top playoff performers, even keeping Dallas alive against the Utah Jazz while Luka Doncic was sidelined for the first two games of their Western Conference Finals run. 

“I look at everything that I go through as a win-win situation,” Brunson said. “If you play, obviously it’s going to do wonders for your confidence. If you don’t, how are you going to respond the next year?

“Somehow, someway it’s going to push me. That’s how I’ve always looked at things and I’m going to continue to do it that way.”

It won't be easy for Brunson to lead the Knicks to a series win against a Cavs team that features no shortage of dynamic talents. Between an electrifying backcourt consisting of Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland and a defense anchored by Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen, Cleveland has a lot of talent.

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