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By Jayesh Pagar
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New York Knicks star Jalen Brunson has heard every knock on his game.
He was too small. He was a second-round pick. He was supposed to be a backup, not the guy who wins a championship for a team.
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Jason Kidd saw something different. He coached Brunson in his final season with the Dallas Mavericks in 2021-22, and watched him grow from role player to go-to scorer. Now, the Hall of Famer has shared the moment he knew.
Kidd, now an ESPN analyst, talked on NBA Today about when he knew Brunson would be this good.
“When he bet on himself to go into free agency. He had an incredible season for us. Also in the playoffs he led us in that first series against Utah,” Kidd said, via @ohnohedidnt24 on X.
“Incredible player incredible person. Also, when he listened to using his right hand…that was the moment that I knew he was gonna do big things.”
Kidd’s answer covers a lot. Brunson turned down an extension in Dallas. Then, with Luka Doncic out early in the 2022 first round, he carried the Mavericks past the Utah Jazz.
The right-hand part stands out. Brunson is a lefty, and defenses try to push lefties to their weak side. Once he got comfortable going right, he became much harder to slow down.
In June, it paid off when Brunson won NBA Finals MVP and New York beat the San Antonio Spurs for its first title since 1973.
Kidd spoke a day after Brunson torched the Chicago Bulls. He scored 33 points in 28 minutes, including 22 in the first quarter, one more than Chicago’s whole team.
The 135-105 win moved the Knicks to 4-4 after a 0-3 start. Karl-Anthony Towns added 17 points and 12 rebounds.
It’s been a slow title defense, but nights like this show the player Kidd believed in.
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