DALLAS — Jason Kidd has watched Jalen Brunson for years, having coached him and coached against him. Brunson left the Dallas Mavericks for the New York Knicks in NBA free agency following the 2021-22 season, though. With the Mavs hosting the Knicks on Wednesday, Kidd was asked about Brunson.
“He loves to play, he loves competition,” Kidd told reporters. “And again seeing him up close, being able to play with other stars.”
Kidd also said that Brunson has found success in the big city of New York. Dallas is a fairly large market as well, but New York is one of the biggest markets in all of sports. Yet, Brunson has emerged as an NBA All-Star.
The 28-year-old guard played in Dallas from the 2018-19 campaign through the 2021-22 season. The Mavs reached the Western Conference Finals in 2022 but ultimately fell short of reaching the NBA Finals. A potential Mavericks-Brunson reunion was mentioned as a possibility, but he ended up leaving for New York.
The decision has paid off for Brunson, who has seen an increase in production with the Knicks. He is currently averaging 24.9 points per game on 47.7 percent field goal and 40.7 percent three-point shooting in 2024-25. Brunson is also averaging 7.9 assists, 2.8 rebounds and 0.6 steals per outing.
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Brunson’s Knicks are 10-7 to begin the 2024-25 season. Meanwhile, the Mavs are 10-8.
Defeating the Knicks could prove to be a challenge for the Mavs amid Luka Doncic’s injury absence. In fact, Doncic and Brunson have only played against one another once in the NBA. The teams have played multiple times since Brunson left, but either Brunson or Doncic have missed the head-to-head matchups for the most part.
The Knicks will host the Mavericks in March, so perhaps Doncic and Brunson will receive the opportunity to play against one another later in the season. At the moment, both teams are focused on Wednesday’s game.
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