Former teammates Luka Dončić and Jalen Brunson faced off last night in New York’s 112-100 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers. After the game, Dončić shared his thoughts on Brunson’s move to the Knicks and the success he’s found since his arrival in 2022.
Luka Dončić Gives Love to His Former Teammate
The pair entered the league together in the 2018 NBA Draft, both joining the Dallas Mavericks, but with considerably different impacts. Dončić secured the Rookie of the Year award, averaging 21.2 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 6.0 assists, while Brunson averaged 9.3 points in just 21.8 minutes per game.
By their third season together, Dončić and Brunson combined to average 57.3 points per game in a playoff series. In 2022, the Mavs allowed Brunson to leave, and Dončić remained until he was traded in 2025.
Dončić said, “He’s doing great, he will always be my guy, we came into the league together, same team, but he deserves it, he deserves to be in the spot. He’s doing amazing.”
The Mavericks have struggled in recent years. In 2022, Brunson averaged 21.6 points in the playoffs, helping the Mavs reach the Western Conference Finals before his departure. He signed a four-year, $104 million deal with the Knicks in 2022, and he hasn’t looked back, becoming one of the best guards in the NBA.
Brunson hasn’t dropped below 24 PPG during his first three full seasons in New York. He averaged a career-high 28.7 points in the 2023/24 season. During the 2024 playoffs, he became the first player since Michael Jordan in 1993 to record 40 points in four consecutive postseason games.
In the 2025 postseason, Brunson led the Knicks to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time in 25 years, where they lost to the Indiana Pacers in six games. In that run, he became one of four players to record at least 30 points and five assists in 10 games in a singular playoff run.
His first piece of NBA silverware came at the tail end of last year, scoring 25 points and contributing 8 assists to lead the Knicks to a 124-113 win against the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Cup final.
He secured the NBA Cup MVP honors for his performance, adding another accolade to a host of awards he has won since joining the Knicks. He is now a three-time NBA All-Star, a two-time All-NBA Second-Team inductee, and was named the 2024/25 NBA Clutch Player of the Year.
This season, Brunson has averaged 27.2 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 6.1 assists in 34.4 minutes per game. The Knicks are second in the East and have won their last six games.
