Jalen Brunson has truly come of age in the opening round of the 2022 NBA playoffs. On Thursday night in Salt Lake City, Brunson built upon his electric Game 2 performance in a big way. Putting up 31 points and 5 assists – and leading the Dallas Mavericks to an unlikely 126-118 road win over the Utah Jazz.
As a result, the Mavericks have now taken a 2-1 series lead over the Jazz. A series in which Dallas superstar, Luka Doncic, hasn’t played even a single minute.
After stumbling at home in Game 1 – many predicted Utah to make swift work of the Dallas Mavericks. The assumption was that without Doncic – Dallas severely lacked the firepower to trouble the Jazz defensively.
However, Brunson had other ideas. Desperately needing a scoring punch in the absence of Doncic, Brunson has stepped up to the plate in a big way. During Game 2, he exploded for 41 points, 8 rebounds, and 5 assists – whilst knocking down six 3-pointers, to level the series. Whilst Brunson’s 31-point Game 3 performance was an impressive showcase of poise and maturity, in a hostile environment.
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Brunson has been among the leading performers in the playoffs so far – and he’s got the basketball world taking notice. One NBA executive who spoke to NBA Analysis Network had this to say:
“He’s struggled in the past in the playoffs, but he’s showing a lot of great things against the Jazz. He’s beaten any defender Utah’s thrown at him and is making a lot of crafty plays in the paint. And he’s got a calming presence as an initiator, too. There’s a lot to like and this appears to be a breakout for him.”
Brunson is averaging 32 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 5.0 assists – on a 60.2 true shooting percentage through the playoffs so far. Improving on his regular-season averages of 16.3 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 4.8 assists. If that’s not a breakout, I don’t know what is.
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The executive added further: “The regular season results showed how good he can be next to a star like Doncic. There were some questions about how he could lead a unit without a star being next to him to take a lot of the attention. What he’s doing against the Jazz has been a great test.”
Ultimately, without Luka Doncic – Brunson has taken the mantle and elevated his production to a star-caliber level. In doing so, he now has his team in a very favorable position. With an opportunity to put a stranglehold on the series heading into Game 4.
