Jalen Brunson’s starry performance not changing his Knick approach: ‘Same mindset’

Tom Thibodeau often condenses his praise of Jalen Brunson by saying little more than “Jalen was Jalen,” a catch-all description that enables the Knicks’ coach to not have to constantly repeat himself regarding his best player’s exploits. 

But asked to go beyond that short phrase following Tuesday’s Game 5 victory over the Pacers, Thibodeau gave two expansive answers that underscored Brunson’s vast importance in leading the Knicks to the precipice of advancing to the Eastern Conference finals for the first time since 2000. 

“You’re right, and you’re making a great point, because as much as you talk about him — and you talk about him a lot, and rightfully so — it’s not enough in what it means to the team,” Thibodeau said. “He’s so willing to share everything with his teammates, and I’ve told you, to me, that’s the best part of him. His play is spectacular, but who he is as a teammate, as a leader, it makes us that. 

“Whether it’s big shot after big shot — and I just love there’s never any excuse-making from him. He’s never talking about injuries. A lot of times, you hear people talking about their injuries. A lot of it is excuse-making. You never get that from him. It’s always, ‘I’ll be better next game.’ Even when he plays a great game, it’s, ‘I’ll be better next game.’ And I love that mentality.” 

That certainly was Brunson’s insistence after having two rough games in Indiana while dealing with a right foot issue, totaling 44 points on 37.2 percent shooting as the Pacers evened the series with back-to-back victories.

The All-Star point guard then matched that scoring output in Game 5 alone, marking his fifth game among 11 postseason appearances with at least 40 points and five assists.