Jalen Brunson will excite Knicks fans with humble responses in welcome event

The New York Knicks hosted a welcome event for Jalen Brunson on Tuesday evening. He was officially introduced as a Knick in a sit-down with Bill Pidto of MSG Network.

In a crowd that included Leon Rose, Tom Thibodeau, William Wesley, and Brunson’s family, the New Jersey native answered questions about his journey and aspirations for the Knicks. It should be noted that the media wasn’t allowed at the event (probably for the sake of tampering/Donovan Mitchell questions), but there were a number of select fans in attendance.

Brunson comes across as a player who puts his nose down and gets to work. He might not be a big-name NBA star, but that doesn’t mean that his work ethic or performance should be underestimated.

He’s the type of player that New York needs and his responses proved that.

Jalen Brunson introduced as the Knicks’ newest point guard in welcome event

Brunson started by poking some fun at Tom Thibodeau after he was asked about growing up around many of the Knicks brass in attendance.

He got a laugh from the crowd, including Thibodeau. The coach isn’t seen smiling often, but the ESPN and NBA TV broadcasts did catch a few grins from him during Summer League.

When asked about what fans can expect from him, part of Brunson’s answer included this line that stuck out:

Brunson went from making a little over a million dollars in 2021-22 to signing a four-year, $104 million deal with New York and he’ll be making $27.7 million in 2022-23. That jump in pay didn’t come from him being satisfied with where he was at, which is why he was able to guide the Dallas Mavericks in the playoffs during the three games that Luka Doncic didn’t play in.

Pidto mentioned that Brunson’s father, Rick, was part of the Knicks squad that last made it to the NBA Finals in 1999.

No, New York didn’t instantly become a contender after signing Brunson, but the pieces are being put in place. That’s what matters.

He talked about his teammates as well, but he didn’t mention any player by name. Why? Well, maybe because a few of the players on the Knicks’ roster right now might not be there come October.

Brunson said all of the right things. It wasn’t because he had been coached on what to say beforehand, but instead you could tell that what he said was genuine.

Welcome to New York, Jalen.

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