Jalen Brunson was meant to be a New York Knick. He grew up around the team, as his father Rick was a Knick for three seasons (1999-2001) before returning to Manhattan as an assistant coach last year.
Rick was teammates with revered New Yorker Allan Houston, who isn't surprised at his son's early impact.
“I’m not going to say I was surprised,” Houston told William Holley on the WBH Radio podcast. “I was pleased because we saw Jalen grow up. When Rick, his father, was on our team, we would see him on the court after games imagining being in that moment. He was six, seven years old."
Brunson was due for a payday as a free agent last summer after coming off a phenomenal playoff run with the Dallas Mavericks alongside Luka Donćić and played his value way up by averaging over 21 points in the 18-game run to the Western Conference Finals.
With Rick in tow, the Knicks were early suitors to pry Brunson away from the Mavericks. Ultimately, playing on a team where his dad had played and was on staff while getting a $104 million contract was too much to pass up.
At this rate, that deal may be a bargain: in his first season in New York, Brunson averaged 24 points per game and 6.2 assists per game while shooting 42 percent from beyond the arc, all of which set career highs for the 26-year-old point guard. He upped his scoring to 27.8 points a game in the postseason, helping the Knicks win their first playoff series since 2013.
Houston, currently working in the Knicks' front office as vice president of player leadership and development, saw the signing of Brunson firsthand.
“When we first signed him, that’s all I could think about, seeing little Jalen,” said Houston. “(Brunson) used to mimic (Latrell) Sprewell’s move. He used to mimic my move. He used to pick a certain move from (Larry Johnson). He didn’t have a ball in his hand. He would just be out there going through it.”
For Houston and Brunson's father, this is a full circle moment from their playing days, and Brunson happens to be an All-Star talent on their team.
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