2018 NBA Draft: 5 potential second round steals
By Connor Harr
2. Jalen Brunson, PG — Dallas Mavericks (No. 33)
Man did I love what the Mavericks did on draft night. After trading up to get Luka Doncic, they drafted Jalen Brunson in the second. While I think Brunson does have some low-level starting equity in the NBA despite his athletic limitations, he may be the best backup point guard in the league within the next 1-3 years.
Brunson has done absolutely nothing but win basketball games since he is been on NBA radars, winning a gold medal in Team USA youth basketball before even arriving on Villanova’s campus and then winning two titles with the Wildcats in three years.
He is a hyper-efficient scoring guard that works well off movement and can thrive as a secondary creator. Brunson is a phenomenal pull-up shooter and also runs the pick-and-roll to perfection. He also has some defensive equity where he gets very physical on ball, taking advantage of his strength. He is also an incredibly smart team defender.
Overall, there is no way Brunson does not contribute to winning basketball in at least 15 minutes a game throughout his entire career. The Mavericks do have a monstrous number of guards on their roster and are looking to dump many of the mediocre ones. Brunson will likely spell J.J. Barea after next season, or could play alongside Barea in a bench role this season.