Jalen Brunson played a pivotal role in keeping the Dallas Mavericks’ season alive during the playoffs, and he helped spin that into a lucrative opportunity with the New York Knicks.
Brunson had a breakout campaign in Year 4 with the Mavs, proving to be a great complimentary piece for Luka Doncic. He went off in the playoffs, including when Doncic was out with an injury, and that was enough for the Knicks to give him an offer he couldn't refuse.
But this past season was without question his best season as a pro. Looking at just the way he played during this regular season and postseason, the four-year, $104 million contract he signed with the Knicks is fair. But he doesn’t have a sustained history of playing this well, and that led to some criticism of New York for offering that much money to a relatively unproven player.
But during the latest episode of “The Big Podcast With Shaq,” NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal said he has no qualms with the contract -- even going as far as grading it an A.
“This is not controversial, I've seen that man ball out and play hard,” O’Neal said. “A lot of times when you don't have the opportunity, people assume you can’t do it. As soon as when Luka went out for three games, Jalen was like 'Hey, I can play.' Even Jason Kidd saw that and said, 'You know what, I’m going to play them together,' and they won a couple games they weren’t supposed to win. He balled out. A young kid, he works hard. Bro, if you work hard, I’m going to say you deserve it.”
The Knicks showed encouraging flashes early last season, but flamed out relatively quickly and ultimately missed the playoffs.
Now, they’re looking to Brunson to help get them over the hump. Whether that comes to pass ultimately will help decide whether O’Neal's take is correct or not.
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