THERE WAS A time not long ago, when Jalen Brunson questioned all the same things about himself that his critics did. His size, his athleticism, his talent. Becky Hammon hadn't even been asked about whether a stocky, 6-foot-2 point guard could really be the best player on a New York Knicks team with championship aspirations, let alone one that's two wins away from the franchise's first title since 1973 as the NBA Finals continue tonight from Madison Square Garden at 8:30 p.m. ET on ABC.
This was back when talent evaluators and general managers across the league had already rendered their own verdict on whether two national titles at Villanova and a national player of the year award could translate to the NBA.
It was a flat no.
The verdict was fairly conclusive, as Brunson fell into the second round of the 2018 draft, while three of his Villanova teammates were drafted in the first round.
Then-Dallas Mavericks general manager Donnie Nelson couldn't believe his good fortune.
Earlier in the draft he'd snared a player he hoped would develop into a generational talent in Slovenian point guard Luka Doncic. Now a player he thought compared to other unconventional all-time greats he'd drafted -- Steve Nash and Tim Hardaway -- had somehow fallen to his team at No. 33.
"All I know is he had the same things that Hardaway and Nash had -- heart, brains and balls," Nelson told ESPN. "Those are things that generally don't fit into an analytics model."
But Brunson's initial bout of imposter syndrome didn't start until the rookie stepped foot into the Mavericks' practice facility and witnessed his fellow 2018 draftee.
Brunson would get to the gym and do the same shooting and footwork drills he'd done his whole life. The jump-stops and spins and jab steps -- always off two feet -- that allow him to make micro adjustments and make impossibly difficult shots over and around much taller players.
"He was murdering people whenever we'd go one-on-one," one former Mavericks assistant coach told ESPN. "We had some great defenders on that team. And he's not exactly deceptive in what he's trying to do. You know what he's going to do. But no one could stop him."