You know that old saying that when you work hard and have a no-quit attitude, great things will come to you.
They ought to use Jalen Brunson as the poster kid for that one.
The New York Knicks’ point guard on Tuesday night will make his first appearance at American Airlines Center since leaving the Mavericks in free agency.
It’s hard to argue that Brunson made a mistake, even though everybody in Dallas would welcome him back with open arms.
Apart from the $104-million reasons Brunson has to be happy with his decision to join the Knicks, their recent run of success indicates that it might be a good situation for the 6-1 Villanova product, who came into the league in the same draft with Luka Dončić, albeit 30 picks afterward.
Brunson is playing at a borderline all-star level and he has the Knicks positioned at 18-16 – the identical record the Mavericks have.
Unfortunately, Brunson limped off the court on Christmas Day late in the Knicks’ loss to Philadelphia. His status for the return to Dallas is a bit uncertain.
But either way, he’s deserving of a warm welcome back to the place where he started his career and grew into a fearless leader.
“It’s going to be great,” Luka Dončić said. “JB is our guy. It’s going to be fun and great to see him again.”
Brunson, as always, has been stand-up about why he left Dallas. It was a combination of his father, Rick, being an assistant coach for the Knicks and Jalen growing up with an affinity for New York.
“It was a great opportunity for me,” Brunson said recently on NBA TV. “The group (of teammates) I’m with are hard workers. They’re always in the gym, always trying to get better and that’s the type of thing I want to be around.”
And just as New York has been good for him, Brunson has been very good for the Knicks.
“I just want to be myself, be a leader, a person who works hard and will do anything it takes to win and will sacrifice a lot,” he said. “That’s who I am. I don’t want to come here and expect everything. I want to earn it.”
Brunson has been characterized as the floor general that the Knicks have been searching for over the last few seasons. He’s had a settling impact on them and they recently ran off eight wins in a row.
This visit to AAC starts the Texas Triangle for the Knicks.
And while the Knicks have lost three in a row, the Mavericks have won three consecutive.
“We’re doing a good job right now, Tim Hardaway Jr. said. “We got three in a row right now. We know we got a tough Knicks’ squad coming in. With JB coming back and (Julius) Randle coming back home, we got to be ready to fight on both ends of the floor.”
Randle is a Plano product and the Knicks’ leading scorer at more than 23 points per game.
Brunson is not far behind, averaging 20.2 points and 6.6 assists. And his leadership has helped make coach Tom Thibodeau’s job a little easier.
“I wish Brunson the best of luck,” Mavericks’ coach Jason Kidd said earlier this season. “I love Brunson. Look at his college career. He’s a true pro. He’s a winner. The Knicks are lucky they got him.”
Kidd made a point periodically last season to say that he was going to get Brunson paid. That came to pass, albeit not by the Mavericks.
That said, Brunson was a valuable part of the franchise for four seasons, especially in April when his play when Luka was injured helped the Mavericks get out of the first round against Utah.
That series probably sealed the Knicks’ interest in him.
Other news to know heading into Tuesday night’s game:
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