"It's Jalen's Team": Brunson Is Unanimous Team USA Leader

Team USA needs a leader, and the name that keeps popping up for that role is New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson.

LAS VEGAS — When you bring a group of people together, a leadership group of a few tends to organically develop. One or two voices above all will come to the forefront, and, whether through vocality or hard work, the rest will fall in line behind them.

The name that keeps coming to the forefront is New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson.

“It’s Jalen’s team,” Brooklyn Nets forward Mikal Bridges told Russo Writes on Sunday.

Brunson has done little over the last few days of Team USA camp to cause anyone to think differently ahead of Monday’s game against Puerto Rico. That meeting will take place in Las Vegas at T-Mobile Arena.

It's easy to overlook, but Jalen Brunson has undergone a pretty radical change over the last three seasons. In the 2021 postseason, Brunson was played off the floor by the LA Clippers when Brunson was a member of the Dallas Mavericks. In the final three games of that series, Brunson played just 35 total minutes, including seeing the floor for only 10 minutes in a Game 7 loss that ended Dallas' season.

However, Brunson rebounded from that in 2021-22, playing 79 games — 61 of them as a starter — as he helped Dallas survive a lengthy absence by star Luka Doncic. Brunson averaged 16.3 points, 4.8 assists, and 3.9 rebounds on 50.2 percent shooting that season. In the postseason, Brunson took his game to another level, which was staggering to watch as Dallas was once again without the aid of Doncic. By the time Doncic returned, the Mavericks were up 2-1 in a first-round series against the Utah Jazz.

Over those three games, Brunson averaged 32.0 points, 5.3 assists, and 5.3 rebounds on 50.7 percent shooting while adding impeccable leadership and shot-making when the team needed it the most down the stretch of games. Even when Doncic returned, Brunson wasn't adversely affected, and he wasn't being played off the floor like he was the year prior. For the 2022 playoff run, Brunson averaged 21.6 points on 46.6 percent shooting as the Mavericks made the Western Conference Finals.

But Brunson opted for brighter lights, and when New York came calling, it was hard to resist. Brunson signed a four-year, $104 million deal with the Knicks last offseason. In the first year of that deal, Brunson became the leader of a Knicks squad looking to make some noise in the Eastern Conference.

Brunson averaged career highs in points (24.0) and assists (6.2) while shooting 49.1 percent from the field and 41.6 percent on 4.7 three-point attempts per game. Not only was the three-point percentage also a career-high but so was the volume.

Due to Brunson’s leadership and production, the Knicks made the playoffs as the 5-seed and faced the Cleveland Cavaliers in the first round, ousting the Cavs in five games. Ultimately, the Knicks lost to the Miami Heat in the second round. But what they were able to accomplish should not be overlooked. Brunson averaged 27.8 points, 5.6 assists, and 4.9 rebounds on 47.4 shooting in the postseason.

Brunson scored at least 30 points in four of the final five games against the Heat. That came over 11 days. If you can believe it, Kyrie Irving, who essentially replaced Brunson on the Mavericks, has put up at least 30 points in only three of the 22 postseason games that he’s played since leaving the Cavaliers.

While he didn’t make the All-Star squad this past season, Brunson is rightfully seen as one of the NBA’s best at his position, and his natural leadership style, both vocally in huddles and on the floor, has been evident during this Team USA camp. On the first day of scrimmages, Brunson delivered a win by drilling a three-pointer and drawing the foul. He sank the free throw to close things out.

“I think Jalen is such a natural leader,” said Team USA and Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr. “Because he’s a point guard, you know, he immediately comes to mind. He’s the one who’s leading the ‘1, 2, 3, USA’ chant. I mean, some guys just, it comes naturally to them. We got a great group. There’s leadership that comes from a lot of them and that’s fun to see.”

Brunson repeatedly took over scrimmages with his ability to change pace, get to his spots, and use his flawless footwork to deftly finish. Multiple times over these last few days, Brunson would get into the paint, keep a man on his hip, and then use his floater to either finish or draw fouls from overeager defenders.

“I think just naturally the guards, I think, are leaders of the team most of the time,” said Orlando Magic star Paolo Banchero.

“So, whether it’s Jalen [Brunson], whether it’s Tyrese [Haliburton], you know, those guys speaking up. They’re the ones, you know, leading the charge, running the offense. Those guys are the quarterbacks of the offense. So, those are the guys kind of we look to, I think, for direction when it comes to, you know, where we’re supposed to be or what set we’re supposed to be in. Those guys are like coaches on the floor.”

When asked about a leadership group forming on the team, Minnesota Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards mentioned Brunson as well as Milwaukee Bucks forward Bobby Portis as the two players who have taken on that role.

“I think the guy that talks the most is probably, it’s between Bobby [Portis] and Jalen Brunson,” Edwards said. When asked specifically about Brunson, Edwards smiled before replying, “He’s good. He’s good, man. He’s good.”

Brunson is a highly respected vet in the NBA, even after just five years in the league. A lot of that is due to his collegiate pedigree. Brunson spent three years at Villanova, winning two National Championships and being named the Naismith College Player of the Year in 2018.

Yet this also isn’t Brunson’s first foray into an international basketball setting.

In 2015, at 18 years old, Brunson led Team USA to an Under-19 World Championship as he put up 14 points, 7 assists, and 5 rebounds on 5-for-11 shooting in 40 minutes as USA defeated Croatia in overtime to snag the gold medal. Brunson was named World Cup MVP for his performance and subsequently earned USA Basketball Male Athlete of the Year honors.

One year before that, Brunson helped lead Team USA to a FIBA Americas Under-18 Championship as they defeated Canada in the Gold Medal game. Brunson led Team USA in minutes during that run, averaging 12.0 points and 5.6 assists on 51.3 percent shooting.

A win at the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup in the Philippines would mark Brunson’s third gold medal, which when added to a high school state championship and collegiate national championships, show the breadth of Brunson’s basketball talent and leadership.

Whether Brunson wants the job or not, he’s seen as the leader of this Team USA squad. Based on his past success, it’s hard to argue with it, and it’s hard to imagine he doesn’t shine when called upon.