Jalen Brunson has heard all the chatter about him being overpaid. However, he is not letting all those negative talks distract him from what he needs to do with the New York Knicks.
Speaking on JJ Redick's The Old Man & The Three podcast (via The News & Observer), Brunson admitted that it's impossible not to see all those discussions about the Knicks overpaying to sign him. He agreed to a four-year, $104 million extension with New York, which was more than what the Dallas Mavericks were willing to offer him.
However, Brunson emphasized that signing the big money deal doesn't change a thing on how he conducts himself. He knows he has a lot of work to do after joining the Knicks, and that's where his focus is instead of all the negativity.
“I’m definitely not ignorant to it. It’s impossible not to see. So that’s the first thing. I’m honored that I got this opportunity to be in this club to make whatever the number is. But no matter what the number is, nothing changes. Nothing changes for me. I think the day of me agreeing to terms, before I did any of that, I got my work in. Weightlifting, shooting,” Brunson said.
“The day I agreed to terms, it was the same. Get my work in, do the stuff later. I’ve always been that way. I don’t plan on changing. It doesn’t bother me. I’m going to be the same person, no matter what. No matter what happens, no matter what anybody says. I’m going to be me and I’m not too worried about that.”
After his deal with the Knicks, there are a lot more expectations on Jalen Brunson now. With that said, he certainly has the right mindset amid all the questions surrounding him.
He just can't focus too much on what the critics are saying. Besides, the only way to shut down all those “overpaid” talks is by living up to the money and elevating his game and the Knicks. If he achieves that, then there would be no issue about New York paying him $26 million per year.
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