Today's Jalen Brunson probably has to thank the Mavericks for their "grace of refusal" at the beginning.
A few days ago, Jalen Brunson said on a show that before the start of the last season of his contract, he asked the Mavericks for a four-year, $55 million contract extension, but was rejected twice by the Mavericks.
$55 million over four years, an average of less than $14 million per year. Seriously, if you look at Brunson's current performance, this ** is simply a great value!!
Brunson didn't start his career well, having been drafted by the Mavericks with the 33rd overall pick in the second round in the June 2018 draft, when he was nearly 22 years old and not very tall.
With the Mavericks, he helped the team reach the Western Conference Finals in 2021-22, playing in 18 playoff games and averaging 34 games per game9 minutes, get 216 points +46 rebounds +37 assists, becoming Doncic's right-hand man.
After that Western Conference final, Brunson was eager to continue to partner Doncic in a big career. However, he did not gain the favor and attention of the Mavericks management.
So, the Knicks picked up a big leak.
In the 2022 offseason, Brunson signed a four-year contract with the Knicks worth 10.4 billion dollars in new contracts, an average of more than $25 million per year, much higher than the contract amount he asked the Mavericks!
After leaving the Mavericks, he continued his excellent form in the 2022 playoffs and continued to evolve.
Last season, Brunson and Randle teamed up to bring the Knicks into the playoffs, knocking out Mitchell's Cavaliers 4-1 in the first round, achieving a "down and up" victory, and in the second round with the Heat in six games before losing regrettably.
G6, Brunson shot 14 of 22, 5 of 10 three-pointers, and scored 41 points efficiently, but the Knicks lost by 4 points. Brunson still gave it his all.
Since then, in the hearts of many Knicks fans, Brunson has become the Knicks' big boss! Because he not only runs in the regular season, but also in the playoffs, Randle may have to accept this.
This season, Brunson continues to evolve. On December 16 last year, he led the Knicks to a 139-122 away victory over the Suns, and he went on a strong rampage, shooting 17 of 23, making 9 three-point shots, making 7 of 9 free throws, scoring 50 points alone, plus 9 assists, making Durant and Booker a "background emperor".
He has averaged 27 per game in his last 52 games6 points 38 rebounds and 65 assists 0He made 92 steals and shot 84 percent from the field, from three-point range and free throw line. Among them, the average points, assists, and steals per game are all career highs.
At the same time, he also became the Knicks' scoring champion and assist leader.
At the moment, the Knicks are full of injuries.
Randle dislocated his shoulder in the Jan. 28 win over the Heat and has yet to return.
This season's strong new signing, Raptors veteran OG Anunoby, underwent right elbow surgery a few days ago and has not yet returned.
Mitchell Robinson, who previously underwent ankle surgery, last appeared against the Green Army on December 9 last year, and he has not yet started running training before starting shooting drills. Mitchell Robinson is the team's defensive gate in the penalty area and has excellent basket protection skills.
In addition, DiVincenzo, Hatten, and Bogdanovic also missed part of the game due to injury before the All-Star break.
In such a situation, Brunson often needs to come up with a big box and take over everything on the offensive end. And when the team is complete, I believe he will play more easily, and the team's record will be more secure.
From being born as a second-round pick, to holding a 100 million yuan contract, and then becoming the new king of the Knicks, the current Brunson is estimated to be grateful to the Mavericks for their "grace of refusal" at the beginning.