Ultimate ‘Point God’ Respect: Chris Paul Praises Mavs’ Jalen Brunson
When it comes to being a floor general in the NBA, Chris Paul has been one of the best to ever do it. Commonly referred to as the “Point God” by many around the league, Paul has had a positive winning impact on every team he’s joined throughout his 17-year career, despite not being able to capture the ultimate goal of a championship yet.
So when the future Hall-of-Famer decided to heap praise on Dallas Mavericks point guard Jalen Brunson ahead of the Mavs’ second-round series against the Phoenix Suns, people should’ve listened.
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"I think it's just funny … what everybody's seeing now, we've done known for a long time,” said Paul of Brunson’s breakout first-round performance against the Utah Jazz.
“He's just getting more of an more opportunity (now)."
In six games vs. the Jazz, Brunson averaged 27.8 points, 4.8 rebounds and 4.2 assists while shooting 48.4 percent from the field and 36.4 percent from deep. He scored 167 points in the series while turning the ball over just four times. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, that’s the most points scored in a playoff series with less than five turnovers in league history.
The individual work Brunson tirelessly puts in every year has obviously helped as well, but as Paul noted, he’s been showing flashes of what we’re seeing now since he was winning championships at Villanova. Paul also told reporters that he took his son to watch Brunson and Villanova up close in the Final Four one year.
When coach Jason Kidd was hired in the offseason, many believed that he would be able to better relate to star point guard Luka Doncic better than Rick Carlisle, despite doubts about his overall coaching abilities. As it turns out, Kidd could be having an even bigger impact on Brunson.
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Brunson was always efficient under Carlisle, but he was also kind of kept in a box, which limited his impact. On the other hand, though, Kidd made the decision to start Brunson full-time alongside Doncic this season, expanding his individual role as well as raising the Mavs’ ceiling as a team.
No matter what happens in the second round, Brunson has made himself a lot of money heading into the offseason as an unrestricted free agent. If Mark Cuban doesn’t want to lose him, he’ll need to open up his checkbook — and there should be zero hesitation behind that decision given that there’s not many other routes for the Mavs to go if Brunson walks.
Out of all the owners in the NBA, Cuban has spent the least amount of money on his rosters since the latest CBA was implemented nearly 11 years ago and has not paid the luxury tax once. He should be able to afford doing so now.
Until that time comes, though, we will continue to watch Brunson build on what has already been a masterful postseason performance… and we shouldn’t be surprised by the brilliance we might see next.
