WEBVTT - Is Jalen Brunson Actually Underpaid?

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<v Speaker 1>You're tuned into Heat Check with Triste Quick.

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<v Speaker 2>On this episode of the Heat Check, the New York Knicks,

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<v Speaker 2>the Knickerbockers, if you will, off to another hot start.

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<v Speaker 3>Could this be another year that they go to the playoffs?

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<v Speaker 4>And there is one reason a man who might actually be,

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<v Speaker 4>in hindsight underpaid. We break down the Knicks hot start

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<v Speaker 4>and we get into what's happening in Portland, which, as

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<v Speaker 4>a Blazers fan, I am an absolute shock.

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<v Speaker 3>About Steam's four one baby what.

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<v Speaker 4>Plus we cover some news around the league, including the

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<v Speaker 4>Lakers continuing to stink but.

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<v Speaker 3>Now being tone deaf. On top of that, Kevin.

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<v Speaker 4>Durant being run into the ground again in Brooklyn. I

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<v Speaker 4>compare the NFL and the NBA's handling of the concussion protocol.

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<v Speaker 3>Uh wi, let's.

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<v Speaker 4>Just say this NBA handling things a lot better than

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<v Speaker 4>the NFL and Joellen deciding you know what, fuck it,

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<v Speaker 4>I'm not playing defense anymore and the NBA going all

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<v Speaker 4>in on Victor wembin Yama and the hype train.

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<v Speaker 3>So much to talk about, so Nick dropped that motherfucking beat.

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<v Speaker 4>I have a thought, obviously since this is a podcast

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<v Speaker 4>about thoughts, but.

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<v Speaker 3>Is Jalen Brunson actually underpaid.

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<v Speaker 4>Everybody said, oh man, the Knicks really fucked up with

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<v Speaker 4>Jalen Brunson one hundred and four million.

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<v Speaker 3>No way he's worth all that money.

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<v Speaker 4>I actually think if you look at this first four

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<v Speaker 4>games and it continues for the rest of the duration

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<v Speaker 4>of the contract, this deal looks like a bad deal

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<v Speaker 4>for Jalen Brunson. Like it looks like he's worth Damian

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<v Speaker 4>Lillard money. I hate to say it, but the man

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<v Speaker 4>is bawling and true point guards are very hard to

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<v Speaker 4>find these days. Jalen Brunson was the first of what

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<v Speaker 4>we're supposed to be two huge moves for the New

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<v Speaker 4>York Knicks, right And in fact, you could pretty much

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<v Speaker 4>argue that last season they were committed to this being

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<v Speaker 4>the case. They knew it was bad as soon as

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<v Speaker 4>Dereck Rose got injured. Tibbs didn't have any of his

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<v Speaker 4>guys in there, and things were not looking good, and

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<v Speaker 4>they thought it's gonna be Brunson, and they thought it's

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<v Speaker 4>gonna be Donovan Mitchell.

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<v Speaker 3>And then a very funny thing happened.

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<v Speaker 4>Danny Ainge did Danny Ainge things, said, you know what,

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<v Speaker 4>Leon Rose deuces I'm done doing business with you.

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<v Speaker 3>We're just gonna deal with Donovan.

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<v Speaker 4>Mitchell to the Calves and left the Knicks scrambling, and

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<v Speaker 4>at the last minute they're trying to.

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<v Speaker 3>Figure out how to piece together a roster that was

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<v Speaker 3>largely outside.

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<v Speaker 4>Of Jalen Brunson unchanged. And you have Julius Randall making

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<v Speaker 4>one hundred and seventeen million dollars over four years, and

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<v Speaker 4>he's looking like an atrocious player that you can't get

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<v Speaker 4>rid of.

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<v Speaker 3>Sad boy season in New York.

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<v Speaker 4>I know, I was live on Wfan for it, and

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<v Speaker 4>people were calling in like, no, no, we didn't want

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<v Speaker 4>him anyway, No, no, There.

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<v Speaker 3>Was a lot of that.

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<v Speaker 4>Right But now, after a week of basketball, the Knickerbockers

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<v Speaker 4>stand three and one with an OT loss to the

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<v Speaker 4>Memphis Grizzlies, a team that everybody is.

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<v Speaker 3>In absolute love with.

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<v Speaker 4>On opening night where they clawed back like a very

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<v Speaker 4>gritty team down fifteen, take it to OT, they should

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<v Speaker 4>have won the game, but there was a no call

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<v Speaker 4>goal ten by jaw Morant. Truthfully, the Knicks should be

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<v Speaker 4>could be four and oh right now, which they would

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<v Speaker 4>be the only undefeated team in the NBA.

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<v Speaker 3>So what's the difference.

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<v Speaker 4>My man, big Booty Brunson, Jalen Brunson, a six to

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<v Speaker 4>one guard out of Villanova. He's not the fastest, he's

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<v Speaker 4>not the quickest. We know he's not the biggest. He's

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<v Speaker 4>six to one on a good day.

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<v Speaker 3>You look at him.

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<v Speaker 4>I've seen him up close. I've covered him when he

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<v Speaker 4>played for Villanova. He's five eleven and a half.

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<v Speaker 3>Let's be honest. He's one of those.

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<v Speaker 4>Guys that doesn't wear that height. Well, do you know

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<v Speaker 4>what I mean? One of the few true point guards

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<v Speaker 4>left in the league. Right with doubt Donovan Mitchell and

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<v Speaker 4>what was pretty much gonna be a shooter friendly offense.

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<v Speaker 3>Instead, Tims went.

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<v Speaker 4>Back to his basics and basically put the offense and

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<v Speaker 4>the next season in the hands of Brunson, a guard

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<v Speaker 4>in which his own dad calls a thick rear ended guard.

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<v Speaker 3>Yep, you think I'm joking.

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<v Speaker 4>The other word that Rick Brunson used for his son's

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<v Speaker 4>booty was significant. Jalen Brunson has the significant caboose and

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<v Speaker 4>it runs in the family. And that kabooz folks is

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<v Speaker 4>getting loose, getting loose on the court.

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<v Speaker 3>It's very on the court. I don't mean it pause,

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<v Speaker 3>very much pause. I don't know what he's doing outside

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<v Speaker 3>of that. It's so clear.

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<v Speaker 4>It's so I didn't mean say it like that. It's

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<v Speaker 4>very clear when you watch him. He's running this offense.

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<v Speaker 4>And I saw him at the Garden on Monday night

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<v Speaker 4>against the Orlando Magic, and man, does he have command

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<v Speaker 4>of the Knicks offense in a way that they haven't had.

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<v Speaker 3>Let's be honest, since Mama there goes that man Mark Jackson.

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<v Speaker 4>Multiple times I saw Jalen Brunson on the floor pointing

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<v Speaker 4>at the court to different players like stand there be there,

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<v Speaker 4>like in front, yo, go over there, and they did.

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<v Speaker 4>Like little chess pieces, they moved to Jalen Brunson's whim.

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<v Speaker 4>And that is benefiting no one more than our guy,

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<v Speaker 4>Julius Randall. All of a sudden, the player that we

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<v Speaker 4>fell in love with two years ago, that one most

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<v Speaker 4>improved player is back. And not coincidentally, it correlates with

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<v Speaker 4>I don't know, Randal having a true point guard where

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<v Speaker 4>Randall doesn't have to run the fucking offense. This is

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<v Speaker 4>what Julius Randall had to say about what Jalen Brunson

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<v Speaker 4>does for him.

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<v Speaker 3>Bump the audio up, Nick because it's a.

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<v Speaker 1>Little low early games, like, he just makes the game

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<v Speaker 1>so much easier for me, you know, if I, you know,

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<v Speaker 1>just keep moving segua scring is run the floor. You know,

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<v Speaker 1>he's always looking to make the right play. So he

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<v Speaker 1>finds me, He gets me going, gets me easy baskets.

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<v Speaker 4>He just makes the game so much easier for me

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<v Speaker 4>if I just keep moving and setting screens, running the floor.

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<v Speaker 3>He's always looking to make the right play. Yeah, because

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<v Speaker 3>last year Julius Randall was tasked with the Jalen Brunson role,

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<v Speaker 3>and let me just say, this wasn't really working. Wasn't

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<v Speaker 3>really working.

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<v Speaker 4>Think about this, Julius Randall is scoring more points in

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<v Speaker 4>less minutes than last year and is shooting fifty four

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<v Speaker 4>percent from two, his best in his knixt career, because

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<v Speaker 4>I don't know, he's not taking those god awful long

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<v Speaker 4>twos at the end of shot clocks anymore.

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<v Speaker 3>According to official.

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<v Speaker 4>NBA stats, last year, Randall averaged two point two dribbles

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<v Speaker 4>per touch, had the ball in his hands four point

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<v Speaker 4>one minutes per game, felt like more. This year, he's

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<v Speaker 4>down to one point four eight dribbles per touch and

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<v Speaker 4>two point eight minutes per game.

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<v Speaker 3>What a difference.

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<v Speaker 4>And if you look at a stat line, it's ridoculous.

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<v Speaker 4>Twenty points per game, nine rebounds per game, three assists,

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<v Speaker 4>and one point two steals.

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<v Speaker 3>Julius Randall is.

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<v Speaker 4>Getting busy, and Randal actually has added some things to

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<v Speaker 4>his game. He is shooting floaters now, Julius.

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<v Speaker 3>Randall shooting floaters.

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<v Speaker 4>He had two, count them, two zero dribble floaters against

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<v Speaker 4>Orlando on Monday. When's the last time Julius Randall had

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<v Speaker 4>two zero dribble floaters? He had two combined since the

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<v Speaker 4>twenty seventeen season. So he's having two in one game

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<v Speaker 4>and had two in the course of five years. He

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<v Speaker 4>is adding to his bag. This is what Tibbs had

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<v Speaker 4>to say about how differently Julius Randall is playing.

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<v Speaker 3>And why so.

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<v Speaker 5>And Julia's was terrific from start to finish. I love

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<v Speaker 5>the way he's diversifying his game, like running the floor.

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<v Speaker 5>Sometimes he's the pace guy. He'll push it up and

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<v Speaker 5>then he'll create movements. Sometimes he just beats people down

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<v Speaker 5>the floor. I think him getting easy baskets is huge

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<v Speaker 5>for us, huge and uh it puts a lot of

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<v Speaker 5>pressure on the defense. I thought Mitch gave us great

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<v Speaker 5>minutes and you can't say enough about you know, what

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<v Speaker 5>Jalen does for the team. He just he's incomplete control

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<v Speaker 5>at all all times. And the game. You know, you

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<v Speaker 5>hit some tough spots in a game, and he has

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<v Speaker 5>such a strong demeanor and a strong face, and it's

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<v Speaker 5>one of determination you have. It gives your team belief

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<v Speaker 5>that we can do this. We we you know we

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<v Speaker 5>can play well.

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<v Speaker 3>Wow, a strong face gives your team belief. Yep, he does.

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<v Speaker 4>Jalen Brunson is making this whole thing work because why

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<v Speaker 4>Tibbs's vision works only with a competent point guard, and

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<v Speaker 4>they did not have one last year because Derrick Rose

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<v Speaker 4>was injured for much of that year. He needs a

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<v Speaker 4>very specific roster and outside of Jalen making this team better,

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<v Speaker 4>making his teammates better, being in New York makes.

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<v Speaker 3>Him better too.

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<v Speaker 4>In a league where big men are now shifting towards

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<v Speaker 4>the perimeter, Jalen is taking what his dad calls a

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<v Speaker 4>thick booty down into the paint to create space and

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<v Speaker 4>get easy shots. This is what he said about his

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<v Speaker 4>post play. I'm always comfortable in the post. I'm comfortable

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<v Speaker 4>being able to play with my back to the basket

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<v Speaker 4>or just playing out of the mid post or playing

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<v Speaker 4>from the elbow.

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<v Speaker 3>It gives me a chance to kind of slow down.

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<v Speaker 3>For a guard, it's hard to guard. It's unconventional. Let's

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<v Speaker 3>talk about his stat line his first four games with

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<v Speaker 3>the Knicks.

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<v Speaker 4>Twenty points per game, eight and a half assists per game,

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<v Speaker 4>one and a half turnovers, fifty one percent from the field,

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<v Speaker 4>forty one percent from three, and eighty five percent from the.

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<v Speaker 3>Free throw line. All of that to say, do you

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<v Speaker 3>believe me now?

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<v Speaker 4>Jalen Brunson might just be underpaid one hundred and four

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<v Speaker 4>million dollars.

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<v Speaker 3>Who unlocks the offense.

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<v Speaker 4>Who makes a guy you're paying one hundred and seventeen

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<v Speaker 4>million dollars to actually worth one hundred and seventeen million dollars,

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<v Speaker 4>slows the team down in times of pressure, has poise

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<v Speaker 4>helps you win games cheap at twice the price. I

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<v Speaker 4>could go on this entire podcast about Jalen Brunson.

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<v Speaker 3>I've loved him long before it was sexy two. I've

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<v Speaker 3>loved him at Villanova.

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<v Speaker 4>I thought that he should be a point guard that

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<v Speaker 4>the Mavericks used and paid long before Lucas stepped into

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<v Speaker 4>that building.

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<v Speaker 3>But you know, what.

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<v Speaker 4>That's okay because he's getting his shine now and I

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<v Speaker 4>would not be surprised if the Nicks end up in

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<v Speaker 4>the playoffs again this year.