Warriors head coach Steve Kerr already knew Knicks star Jalen Brunson was already “a really good player” before he rose amongst the NBA’s best in blue and orange at Madison Square Garden.
Kerr, who coached Brunson during the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup, didn’t believe much had changed in the guard’s game from the time he played under him in Asia.
But the head coach believes Brunson comfortably and voluntarily became “the guy” after inking a long-term deal with the Knicks after leaving the then Luka Doncic Mavericks in 2022.
“To me, we played him against Dallas [in the 2022 Western Conference Finals] and he was obviously a really good player at that time,” Kerr said of Brunson, who averaged 18.0 points, 4.6 rebounds and 4.2 assists on 46% shooting from the field and 40.9% from downtown before losing to the Warriors in five games.
“But when he left Dallas and came here, just seemed like he took on a different role, responsibility. [He] became the guy, embraced it immediately in New York.”
Brunson’s transition to New York energized a Knicks fanbase longing for an All-Star point guard, a feat that previously wasn’t accomplished since John Starks got selected in the 1993-94 season.
Brunson has since earned the nod twice, this time as a starter in the 2024-25 season alongside newcomer Karl-Anthony Towns. Since landing in the Big Apple, Brunson is averaging 26.1 points, 7.4 assists and three rebounds. And his play this season puts him in contention for a second All-NBA selection on a Knicks team fighting to make a deep postseason run after coming up short to the Pacers, 4-3, in the Eastern Conference Semifinals round in 2024.
“That’s pretty impressive… for a team, a city desperate for success for the Knicks. So it’s just the responsibility that he shoulders and then building on his game and getting better and better,” Kerr said. “So I don’t necessarily think there was a big change from when he got to USA Basketball. To me he took that leap when he got to New York.”
FIBA LEARNING FROM NBA
Kerr, the two-time Team USA gold medalist head coach, said officials refereeing FIBA games may have adopted the way NBA refs dictate traveling violations, which seemed much tighter in international competitions.
“I noticed that the FIBA refs were learning from the NBA refs. There was so much traveling. It’s an epidemic. It’s worldwide. I’m committed to putting a stop to it,” the head coach said with a smile on his face.
“I think we’ve gotten so loose with it, and I just feel like … it’d be such a better game. The league’s always been great too about adjusting and adapting when things get too carried away. And I love what’s happened this year,” Kerr said of FIBA.
He added that FIBA play has allowed more physicality and called fewer touch fouls.
