"He is my exclusive balancer. Whenever I or the team's rhythm is not right, I need him to correct it." Luka Doncic said. Jalen Brunson, who looks mature, is actually only 25 years old this season. He already reached the peak of his career last season, but he hit another peak at the beginning of the 2021-22 season. He currently averages 29.2 minutes per game, scoring 14.3 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 4.0 rebounds. Rebounds, all are career highs.
Mavericks’ new head coachJason Kidd gave this seasonBrunson has more opportunities, "Both Luka Doncic and JB know how to lead the team. Now he has achieved very good results. He leads the performance of the second team. He is a point guard and an extension coach. You mentioned the sixth player, maybe he can win an award if he continues to perform like this."
The Mavericks' performance at the beginning of the 2020-21 season was unstable, and their record was not as good as expected. They could only struggle around 50% until they began to stabilize in February 2021, and they have exploded upward in the past two months. Of course, the biggest contributor to this is Luka Dončić, a strong contender for MVP this season. However, in addition to Dončić, the return of Kristaps Porzingis, the firepower of Tim Hardaway Jr., and the improvement of new classmate Josh Richardson are also the reasons. However, head coach Rick Carlisle gave gave a unique answer, "I think Jalen is the key catalyst for the team to take off. Without him to maintain stability when the substitutes and the team are struggling, we may not be able to return to the playoffs."
Further reading:
How Jalen Brunson, the young ballhandler with an old soul, won the heart of Rick Carlisle
Although Carlisle has always been known as the "Rookie Killer" and does not like to use young players, he gave Brunson a lot of opportunities and trust. Even though he had shoulder surgery in the bubble, he still gave him a lot of space after returning from injury.
And Brunson did not live up to expectations. He played a career year in the 2020-21 season, averaging 12.6 points, 3.5 assists, and 3.4 rebounds per game, and had a field goal percentage of 52.3% and a three-point shooting percentage of 405%, all of which set career highs. When he The team scores 3.7 more points per 100 possessions when on the court than when not on the court, ranking third on the team behind Luka and Finney-Smith.
In the victory over the Jazz in early April, Brunson scored 10 points and 3 assists in the fourth quarter and became the key to the victory. Even Mavericks broadcaster Derek Harper praised Brunson as the best ball-handling attacker on the field, and there were three All-Stars at the time. Dončić, Mike Conley and Donovan Mitchell are on the court. "I like his sophisticated skills and movements on the court. He has no redundant movements and knows when and where to do what to help the team." Harper said, "He is every A dream green leaf that every team wants."
Although Brunson looks mature, he is actually only 24 years old. His tricky reach is like the left-handed version of Steve Nash, especially his ability to shuttle between the penalty area and the baseline and his wide passing vision. Although Brunson is only 6 feet 1 inch tall, he is very good at disrupting and grabbing points in the penalty area. This season, his shooting percentage in the penalty area is 70.9%, ranking third among guards (with more than 100 shots), not even inferior to other players. A tall striker or a long man, his statistics are comparable to those of the two offensive weapons Giannis Antetokounmpo and LeBron James. https://www.youtube.com/embed/TP7tNJ7YuUQ?wmode=transparent&jqoemcache=ih5gX
In addition to the basic skills of traditional ball control, Brunson also has stable mid- and long-range shooting, including fadeaways, emergency stops, and three-point jumpers. This season, his mid-range shooting percentage is 51%, and his left and right corner three-point shooting percentages are as high as 51%. With 46.2% and 51.9%, he is the Mavericks’ second-leading shooter after Doncic. When Brunson and Doncic play at the same time, they can score 7.3 points more than their opponents per 100 possessions. More importantly, Brunson averages only 1.2 turnovers per game and has a higher turnover rate. Hitting a career low of 10.4%, he is definitely the best balancer with Doncic (averaging 4.4 turnovers per game, 15.4% turnover rate).
If Brunson's current two-point shooting percentage is 57.7%, if he can improve the data, he will be the first person in history under 6 feet 1 inch to have a shooting percentage of 60%. "I hope he can play a little more selfishly and take more shots," Carlisle said. Brunson currently averages 9.3 shots per game. "He has the best offensive efficiency on the team, but he only ranks fifth on the team in shots per game. , we will help him design more tactics."
Brunson did more heavy training last offseason to increase his confrontation and durability, which also allowed him to perform more tasks on the court. "He is one of the team's playmakers. He can score and organize, and he can also defend defensively." You won't get hit." Now Brunson is positioned as the team's second offensive engine, and dual organization is Carlisle's long-time favorite lineup. In the past, JJ Barea paired with Devin Harris, and now Brunson and Doncic partner.
Although Brunson mostly plays on the bench, he averages 7.9 minutes per game in the fourth quarter, ranking third on the team. At this time, the Mavericks will probably add a shooter and Porzingis to play one senior and four juniors. Brunson can handle the ball. , without the ball and the versatility of the shooter can be maximized. "Luka will be the main ball holder at critical moments. At this time, I must stay focused to maintain high-quality shooting." Brunson said.
The Mavericks made it clear before this season's trade deadline that Brunson was not included in the deal. Brunson will become a restricted free agent after this season. It is rumored that Nick is very interested in him. However, the 24-year-old Brunson is obviously planning to join the Mavericks. One of the future blueprints with Dončić depends on what kind of price the Mavericks will offer to retain people.
