Jalen Brunson was an NCAA star who can make an immediate impact with the Mavericks

Jalen Brunson may have been the best point guard in college basketball last season for the NCAA tournament champion Villanova Wildcats. The soon-to-be-22-year-old is a lights-out shooter from distance, and earned the National Player of the Year Award for a reason.

Mavericks fans should be excited for a developed talent to step on the court now. He could have great value at No. 33.

Brunson averaged 19 points, five assists, and three rebounds in his junior season, for the best offense in the country. He shot 60 percent from the field on two-point looks, and 41 percent from three. The lefty has deadly accuracy and a knack for playing with NBA talent. He shared the floor with Mikal Bridges, Donte DiVincenzo, and Omari Spellman.

The knock on Brunson is his size, and that’s why he wasn’t considered a high first-round pick. The NBA is transforming into a league of oversized guards with unthinkable reaches, and Brunson doesn’t fit that trend. He measured in at 6’2.25 at the combine with a 6’4 wingspan.

There are legitimate concerns at how well he’ll be able to score in traffic at the next level or how he’ll be able to defend bigger and more athletic players. Still, a player with Brunson’s skill and smarts can overcome his size disadvantages. It’s more than reasonable to think Brunson, a knockdown shooter in a league that thrives on pace and spacing, can carve out a role for himself at the next level.

Jalen Brunson is going to be a problem at Villanova
By Ricky O’Donnell, July 6, 2015

There’s always been something deceptive about the enormity of Jalen Brunson’s talent.

Coming out of Stevenson in the north suburbs of Chicago, Brunson was an All-American, state champion, and five-star recruit, but never earned as much notoriety as the two players he directly proceeded as Illinois’ Mr. Basketball, Jabari Parker and Jahlil Okafor. While Parker and Okafor fit the physical profile of a surefire future pro, Brunson wasn’t as immediately imposing from first glance.

During an age when point guards have grown as tall as wings and run faster than ever, Brunson is a throwback. He’s a stocky 6’2 and always got by on his guile more than his speed. He’s a pinball darting around the court, excelling with a game that would have seemed more appropriate three or four decades ago.

Here’s another quote on Brunson, this one from Xavier coach Chris Mack:

“You peel his face off, he’d probably have wires coming out of it.”

If you watched Brunson’s surgical guard play this season, it makes sense. Brunson was back in his preferred role as a go-to scorer as a junior. He didn’t need to carry Villanova’s offense every night because the Wildcats had so many other weapons, but there was never any doubt who was at the controls.

Jalen Brunson looks a lot like Young Chauncey Billups
By Steve Hinson, Detroit Bad Boys

Player A: 17.1 points per game, 6.4 assists, 2.1 turnovers, 1.1 steal, 59.2 percent true shooting percentage, 31.6 percent assist percentage, 12.8 percent turnover percentage, 1.7 percent steal percentage, .222 win shares per 48 minutes

Player B: 16.9 points per game, 4.4 assists, 1.9 turnovers, .9 steals, 64.3 percent true shooting percentage, 26.4 percent assist percentage, 12.7 percent turnover percentage, 1.7 steal percentage, .233 win shares per 48 minutes

Both players are able to step up with their teams need it, are cerebral point guards, are able to score anywhere on the floor. Both are around 6’3, 200 pounds and rely more on savvy than overwhelming athleticism. They both wore the same uniform number, 1. Oh yeah, I’m making that comparison. Jalen Brunson and Chauncey Billups.