Knicks' Jalen Brunson Talks Working With Father

Jalen Brunson and his father, Rick, have a unique bond with the New York Knicks.

Nov 1, 2024; Detroit, Michigan, USA; New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) gets mentally prepared before the start of their game against the Detroit Pistons at Little Caesars Arena. Mandatory Credit: Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images / Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images

Not many players in the NBA get to work with their father, but that's the case with New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson.

Brunson signed with the Knicks in the summer of 2022, just a month or so after his father Rick joined the coaching staff under Tom Thibodeau.

Rick Brunson, like his son, also played in the NBA. The elder Brunson went undrafted in 1995, but caught onto the league in 1997 with the Portland Trail Blazers and played for eight franchises until 2006.

The father-son duo were close growing up, but things have changed since joining forced together with the Knicks.

“[We talk] all the time," Brunson said h/t Posting and Toasting. "College, high school. We don’t talk after games now because we see each other throughout the game. OK, we’ll talk about it tomorrow. I like it. It’s helped me out.”

Having a long-time "coach" on the staff certainly helped Brunson get acclimated to his surroundings with the Knicks, and it shouldn't be a coincidence that the All-Star point guard has had his best years in the NBA with his father coaching him.

“I think when you’re the son of a coach, regardless of what level, I think you’re consistently talking about what you can do to be better," Brunson said. "For the most part, at least from my experience, I don’t think there’s any trick to it. It’s just that you’re in this constant mode of learning. Since you have that since you’re a kid, you learn more, you understand more. I don’t know. It’s just more of a natural feel.”

The Knicks have built their entire team around Brunson, and that also includes his father, who may be a secret weapon for the team, in a way.

If the Brunsons continue to feed off of one another, the Knicks may be able to get to the heights that they dreamed of when they arrived in the city two years ago.

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