The Mavericks drafted Branson and Don Sic in the 2018 draft. Despite their different career trajectories, the Knicks guy is about to surpass his previous teammates.
Jalen Brunson was probably the best player in the 2025 NBA playoffs. The New York Knicks are just one game from exclusion, but Branson’s greatness cannot be denied.
The 28-year-old was drafted in 2018 by the Dallas Mavericks. This is the same as the franchise traded for a particular Luka Donsic on draft night.
Branson remained a role player during his time in Dallas, but Donsic captivated everyone in the playoff stage. Since moving to New York, he has become a star in its own right.
Karl-Anthony Towns spoke about how Brunson helped the Knicks win Game 5. And when you enter Game 6, you need another victory, but Jalen can also achieve something unexpected.
Between the two, Doncic has always been a highly rated player and has been considered a true superstar. He has also proven to be arguably the best playoff performer of his generation.
But Branson isn’t that late. He led the Knicks to their first meeting final in 25 years. And he did so by becoming their main goalscorer in the playoffs.
JB currently scores 1,682 points in the playoffs. With a critical game six approaching, this means his tally is just 15 points less than his previous teammates.
For all his heroes, Luka scored just 1,697 points in the playoffs. And if Branson even scores half of what he averages this postseason, he will jump over Don Sic.
Given that both players are on their way to becoming Hall of Fame, the real loser of this entire scenario is the Mavericks.
The team has been heavily roasted this season to trade the Slovenians for the Los Angeles Lakers. But as Channing Frye pointed out, they previously lost another Don-Sic player from Branson.
In his final 30 playoff games, Jalen averages 31.1 points and 7.2 assists per game. Doncic averages 30.9 points, 9.2 rebounds and 7.8 assists per game in the playoffs of his career.
The truth remains that the way to decide to watch it anyway ruined Dallas having the ultimate 2020s NBA backcourt after drafting it that year.