The New York Knicks are in the NBA Finals for the first time in more than two decades, and Jalen Brunson is one of the major reasons for their success. However, even New York’s main man once struggled after watching his former teammate Luka Doncic.
Ahead of the Knicks’ Game 1 against the San Antonio Spurs, both teams held their NBA Finals media day. Brunson, who has been the Knicks’ leading scorer, understandably faced plenty of questions from the media. The 29-year-old was asked whether he had ever felt imposter syndrome, which refers to feeling like a fraud despite having the talent and success.
“The only time is probably my rookie year,” Brunson responded. The Dallas Mavericks drafted him in the second round back in 2018. He played 73 games in his first season while averaging 9.3 points per game. While Brunson was still trying to settle into Dallas, he was overwhelmed watching Doncic.
© Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images
“Playing pickup with the team in Dallas and then obviously watching Luka doing his thing so effortlessly,” the Knicks star said about his former teammate. “That was probably the only time and it made me kind of question myself to see how hard I actually had to work to be in the position that I wanted to be.”
Brunson continued trying to make a name for himself with the Mavericks. However, when his father, Rick Brunson, joined the Knicks’ coaching staff, Jalen signed with New York in free agency in 2022. Since then, he has been named an NBA All-Star three times and has scored 7,462 points, becoming the team’s leading scorer since his arrival.
Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
Following the Knicks’ 4-0 series win against the Cleveland Cavaliers, Brunson was named the NBA Eastern Conference Finals MVP. He averaged 25.5 points per game while also recording 31 assists throughout the series. The Knicks now face the same opponent from their last Finals appearance in 1999: the San Antonio Spurs.
With 7-foot-4 Victor Wembanyama leading the opposition, Brunson will face him in the final series of the season. However, the Knicks star doesn’t have any imposter syndrome anymore, as he knows very well how vital he is to his team in the upcoming NBA finals.
