NBA players stepping up during the COVID surge: Jalen Brunson
Jalen Brunson was already having the best season of his brief four-year career. As the pandemic caused more and more issues, however, including with the Dallas Mavericks’ star guard, Brunson has increased his output to help the Mavs out.
In six of his last seven games, Brunson has scored at least 18 points. Brunson started the last six games before Christmas as Doncic battled both protocols and an ankle injury. In that stretch, he averaged 20.2 points and 7.5 assists per game.
Doncic didn’t get to play in the Christmas Day contest on the road at the Utah Jazz either. Six other players joined him, including Tim Hardaway Jr. Willie Cauley-Stein, and Dorian Finney-Smith who also missed the game for various reasons.
Brunson was ready to light the Jazz up like a tree anyways. He tied Kristaps Porzingis for the Mavs leading scorer with 27 points, hitting 10 of his 25 shot attempts and adding six assists along the way. It took a rally for the Jazz to get the home victory over a team more shorthanded than many right now,
The Mavericks haven’t extended Brunson yet, meaning he’s due to hit free agency this summer. He’s proven just what kind of player he can be over this tough stretch and the Mavs would be lucky to keep him around for the long term.