New York Knicks star Jalen Brunson continues to draw attention during the NBA Finals, even after New York’s 115-111 loss to the San Antonio Spurs in Game 3 on Monday night.
Brunson finished with 32 points, five rebounds, and five assists at Madison Square Garden, helping keep the Knicks within striking distance before San Antonio cut the series deficit to 2-1. While the Knicks fell short, the performance came as Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James praised Brunson’s unique skill set during a recent episode of the Mind the Game podcast.
James highlighted one specific trait that he believes makes Brunson especially difficult to defend as New York pursues its first NBA championship since 1973.
LeBron James Explains Why New York Knicks Star Jalen Brunson Is Difficult to Guard
Speaking on “Mind the Game”, James pointed to Brunson’s left-handed style as a major factor behind his success.
“And also, I mean, and also add on to that, he’s a lefty, you know, which also changes it too,” James said.
“You know, our league is so, what, 90% of our league, 95% of our leagues are righties, you know, and the lefties that’s dynamic in our league is sometimes just hard to kind of get a cadence of that.”
James compared Brunson’s game to another elite left-handed scorer.
“The man who, you know, was the James Harden, you know, now the Jalen Brunson. Like, it’s a different, it’s a different feel when a guy’s coming at you lefty, you know.”
The Lakers star added that Brunson’s handedness creates additional challenges for defenders.
“So I think that plays a little bit into it. I don’t know if anybody’s ever said that. And I could be wrong, but I also could be right. I think being a lefty, too, when you’re that dynamic, it just gives the defense and the defender a little bit more of a headache.”
Brunson has remained a focal point of San Antonio’s defensive game plan throughout the Finals. Through three games, he is averaging 27.3 points, 4.3 rebounds, 4.3 assists, and 1.7 steals per contest.
New York Knicks Searching for Offensive Balance Against San Antonio Spurs
GettyNew York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson
Although Brunson delivered another strong scoring performance in Game 3, New York struggled offensively for long stretches.
The Knicks scored just 47 points in the second half as the Spurs rallied behind Victor Wembanyama’s 32-point performance and Stephon Castle’s 23 points.
Brunson shot 11-for-25 from the field and 3-for-5 from beyond the arc. However, he also committed five turnovers, matching his assist total.
Following the loss, Knicks head coach Mike Brown pointed to issues with offensive movement.
“We were about as stagnant as I’ve seen us all year,” Brown said. “We just wanted to stand and watch one guy dribble a ton.”
Brown said New York struggled to attack San Antonio’s defensive schemes effectively.
“We were just coming down and just basically playing drag. We’d get the first screen, and then we literally just stood and watched. There was no movement,” Brown said.
The coach added that the Spurs’ defensive approach requires quicker decisions and more ball movement.
“But sometimes you’re going to have to just move and cut and pass the ball quicker and drive the ball quicker, because it’s almost a zone that they are in to a certain degree, and we didn’t do a good job of attacking it.”
The Knicks may look to involve Karl-Anthony Towns and Mikal Bridges more heavily in Game 4 after Towns attempted only 10 field goals and Bridges finished with five shot attempts in Game 3.
Even with the loss, New York remains in control of the series with a 2-1 lead. Brunson’s ability to create offense continues to be central to the Knicks’ title hopes, and James’ comments underscore the respect the All-Star guard has earned around the league.
Game 4 is scheduled for Wednesday night at Madison Square Garden, where the Knicks will try to regain momentum before the series returns to San Antonio.
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