Underrated Story: Jalen Brunson

Everybody is better than Jalen Brunson.

At least, that's what people have believed at nearly every stage of his basketball career.

Coming out of high school, Brunson was respected, but he wasn't considered one of the can't-miss superstars. Despite being the son of former NBA player Rick Brunson, he lacked the size and athletic profile that scouts search for. While many of his peers were in the spotlight for their physical gifts, Brunson quietly built his game on preparation, discipline, and an exceptional understanding of basketball.

At Villanova, he won two NCAA National Championships and established himself as one of the greatest college point guards of his generation. Still, questions remained.

Was he athletic enough?

Was he big enough?

Could his game translate to the NBA?

Thirty-two players were selected before his name was called in the 2018 NBA Draft.

The Dallas Mavericks drafted him 33rd overall.

Even after proving himself as one of the league's most reliable guards, Brunson found himself playing in the shadow of Luka Dončić. When his rookie contract expired, many questioned whether he deserved the type of contract given to starting point guards.

Then New York called.

The Knicks weren't simply looking for another player.

They were searching for a leader.

Over the next several seasons, Brunson transformed both his own career and one of basketball's most storied franchises. He became the steady presence New York had been searching for—a player whose greatest strengths were never speed or size, but composure, preparation, and an unwavering belief that the next possession mattered more than the last.

Then came the 2026 playoffs.

The Knicks opened the postseason by defeating the Hawks in Game 1, only to lose the next two games by a single point each. Many teams would have allowed those losses to define the series.

Instead, New York responded with one of the most dominant stretches in NBA playoff history.

The Knicks won Games 4 through 6 by a combined 96 points. In the deciding Game 6, they built a 47-point halftime lead, the largest in NBA playoff history, before extending that margin to 61 points, another postseason record.

It was only the beginning.

Facing the top-seeded Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference Finals, the Knicks trailed by 22 points with just ten minutes remaining in Game 1. Somehow, they forced overtime—and won.

Rather than slowing down, they swept the series, winning four straight games by double digits and extending their playoff winning streak to 11 consecutive games.

Waiting in the NBA Finals were the San Antonio Spurs.

The Knicks’ historic winning streak ended in Game 2, but the team had already developed a reputation for responding to adversity rather than fearing it.

Game 4 became the defining moment of their season.

Trailing by 29 points, New York authored one of the greatest comebacks in sports history, capped off by an unprecedented performance by OG Anunoby which was later recognized with the ESPY Award for Best Play.

The championship-clinching Game 5 perfectly reflected the identity the team had built all postseason.

Once again, the Knicks faced a double-digit deficit.

Once again, they came back.

Jalen Brunson scored 45 of New York's 94 points, delivering the performance that secured the Knicks' first NBA Championship in 53 years.

Looking back, it would be easy to focus on the records, the comeback victories, or the championship celebration.

But those were simply the results.

The story was written long before the confetti fell.

It was written every time Brunson was told he wasn't big enough.

Every time another player was considered more talented.

Every time people questioned whether he was worth believing in.

Brunson was quoted during the playoffs saying,

"You can acknowledge adversity, but you have to do something about it."

The Knicks shared this mindset, as they proved no deficit in their playoff run was insurmountable.

As Mikal Bridges put it,

"Every game we play like it's 0–0."

The Knicks put their entire focus into every series, every game, and every possession. There was no room for complacency in their minds.

And head coach Mike Brown summarized what the team had become:

"We hit adversity, it shows that we are strong enough to win."

Without adversity, the Knicks would never have had the opportunity to show the world how truly great they are.

Perhaps the best way to describe Jalen Brunson's career is with a sentence Knicks fans have come to know well:

Everybody is better than Brunson... until it's time to be better than Brunson.

Staying underrated isn't about proving people wrong.

It's about becoming so prepared that, when your moment arrives, your performance speaks louder than every doubt that came before.

Stay Underrated,

David Tauman

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