At this point, New York Knicks fans are familiar with superstar Jalen Brunson's approach to the podium after games. The 29-year-old point guard will rarely take credit, always laud his teammates and coaches, respect but never defer to his opponents, and treat any injury that isn't holding him out of a game as if it never happened. After his game-winner against the Indiana Pacers on Thursday night, he stayed right on-brand by serving as his own biggest critic. Even though Brunson closed the game for New York, he told the team's broadcast crew after the game that he was terrible all-around.
How Jalen Brunson leads the Knicks by example
If Brunson scores 40 points in a game that the Knicks lose, he'll refuse to speak positively about any aspect of his outing after the game. If he has a bad turnover in a win where he scored 40 points, you'll hear from him about it (even if Josh Hart making fun of him is how the topic comes up).
Brunson scored 25 points, assisted on seven baskets, and recorded three steals against the Pacers on Thursday. He also had three turnovers and his ten made shots came at the cost of 13 misses. Despite the inefficiency, though, none of Brunson's misses compare in importance to his game-winning 3-pointer.
The team won the NBA Cup about 24 hours before the final buzzer rang out in Indiana. But moments after hitting the clutch shot to win the game, Brunson made clear to the MSG Network broadcast crew that he was unhappy with his performance.
"I was garbage to start the game, and then in the second half was garbage as well. I want to thank the lord for Tyler Kolek, for playing the way he's playing ... and saving me. We found a way to win this one," Brunson said from the court of the Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
Brunson highlights Tyler Kolek's play after trashing his own
One Knick guard did play well enough in the win to receive some postgame credit from Brunson, with Kolek posting a double-double. The 16-point, 11-assist performance from the sophomore guard came on 7-10 field goal shooting and 2-4 shooting from 3-point land.
Brunson's always glad to credit his teammates, which he notably did to begin his postgame address following the team's NBA Cup win. The guard shouted out teammates OG Anunoby, Mitchell Robinson, Jordan Clarkson, and Kolek for their play against the San Antonio Spurs, telling fans in Las Vegas that the Knicks wouldn't have won without their contributions.
Although those stats don't officially count toward players' season averages, Kolek got redemption just one day later against the Pacers. The second-year table-setter had his first career double-double and continued to vindicate the belief of teammates like Brunson.