One of the hottest names in the NBA today is unquestionably, Jalen Brunson of the Dallas Mavericks. Practically a nobody just a few of weeks ago, the 22-year-old has emerged as one of the biggest surprises of the second half of the season.
Mavs head coach Rick Carlisle had nothing but good things to say about his rookie point guard, and expressed his belief in Brunson's untapped potential.
“We're proud of him, very proud of him,” Carlisle said, per Brad Townsend of SportsDay. “He's a winner all the way. I see him continuing to get better.”
Brunson has been on an absolute tear of late, following his promotion to the starting unit after the Mavs traded away Dennis Smith Jr. to the New York Knicks. Over the past 10 games, the 6-foot-3 guard is averaging 15.8 points (on 51.7 percent shooting), 1.6 three-pointers, 3.6 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 0.7 steals, and just 1.6 turnovers in 30.5 minutes of action.
Coach Carlisle went on to say that he is delighted with Brunson's progress, and believes that it stems from the proper attitude the youngster possesses.
“He (Brunson) does everything right,” Carlisle said. “He works at his craft and pays attention to detail. … This guy was the 33rd pick in the draft. Pretty good.”
Prior to being drafted by the Mavs in the second round of last summer's draft, Brunson played three years of college basketball with Villanova. In his junior year, he put up 18.9 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 4.6 assists per contest, and this is exactly the type of potential he is living up to for the Mavs of late.
Dallas appears to have struck gold with Brunson, and it seems like he has forced his way into the team's young nucleus moving forward.
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