BY DAVID THORPE
My clients are professional basketball players who are spread all over—a lot of how we relate is through video clips. Make the easy play on the break like Terance Mann; when they close you out hard on the 3-point line, make a quick middle attack like Pascal Siakam; jump stop into a violent shot fake like Jaylen Brown.
But lately, I’ve been sending people clips of Knicks star Jalen Brunson. He’s averaging over six assists per game, though he’s not a gifted passer, just a willing one. Generously listed at 6-2, he certainly shouldn’t be a top-10 NBA scorer averaging 25 points a game.
When I can’t explain why a player is successful, I chalk it up to talent. Brunson is a true basketball genius.
For me, there is a simple formula: production minus mechanics equals talent. Mechanics encompasses form, function, height, weight, length, speed, athleticism, etc. Essentially, if you can quantify mechanics and subtract the total from production, what you’re left with is talent. The quickest route to a draft bust is a guy who has great mechanics but lacks talent—in other words, they look the part but can’t play it.
Harvey Penick tells the story of a golfer playing in the Texas state championship. The golfer has just won a semifinals match and tells Penick, his coach, that he should kill his finals opponent, who has a bad grip and a bad swing. Penick says nothing. The next day, the golfer returns, dragging ass. When Penick asks him what happened, the golfer replies that he got murdered. Penick tells him that he’s learned a lesson: If a player has gotten this far with a bad swing, in a Texas tournament, he’s figured out how to score and how to win. That player is to be respected.
That’s Jalen Brunson.
Even though Brunson had an illustrious high school career in Illinois followed by two national championships in three years at Villanova, the NBA as a whole wasn’t a believer—few, if any, expected this. Brunson has no shortage of skill; it’s just all wrapped up in a kind of body that tends to do poorly in this league. You would never think looking at him that he’s going to beat you: no height, no length, no speed, no vertical. But very few guys win multiple NCAA championships as primary players—especially slow, 6-1 guards. That’s to be respected.
More importantly, his production is enormous, which tells me his talent is off the charts. Tucked into that talent is a natural feel for shot timing, an innate poise under pressure, and a unique Joe Frazier-style approach to attacking defenders. I guarantee that a lot of NBA defenders have never guarded anyone like Brunson, and that’s what I want my players to emulate.
He plays like no one can defend him. Here’s how he does it.
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