Jalen Brunson Challenges Wembanyama Ahead of NBA Finals: "You Never Know What He's Capable Of"

Jalen Brunson approaches the NBA Finals with the New York Knicks with the maturity of a leader who refuses to change anything despite the magnitude of the stage. The point guard discussed the challenge of facing the San Antonio Spurs, Victor Wembanyama's defensive threat, the historic significance of playing in the Finals with the same team as his father, and the mentality of a group that, in his words, cannot be satisfied "just because we're here."

Question. Jalen, what does it mean to you and your family that you and your father, 27 years apart, are the first father and son to play in the NBA Finals with the same team? Do you remember any of those games? Did you attend any of those games?

JALEN BRUNSON: Of course I don't remember them. It's pretty surreal, I'm not going to lie. It's something I haven't thought too much about. I feel like, once the season ends, once my career ends, there will be moments to think about everything we'll be able to experience together. It's definitely a beautiful feeling.

P. From your matchups this year, what impression has Castle made on you as a defender and the way he guards you?

JALEN BRUNSON: He's very good. I think his intensity and tenacity are special. He plays with a chip on his shoulder. He's had it since I saw him at UConn. From the way he's played in these early years of his career, he's going to be a great player, a great defender. He's tough. He's someone you have to game plan for and just be smart.

P. You've played in big stages, two national championships, USA Basketball. You've never played with the Finals logo on the court. Do you expect it to feel different? How do you think it could feel different?

JALEN BRUNSON: I mean, yes, I feel like everything leading up to Game 1 is going to be, definitely, at a high level with everything that happens around it. I think the most important thing is that when you can prepare the right way, when you do your routines and treat it like a normal game, that allows you to be as normal as possible for yourself. For me it's just about making sure I keep my head cool, doing the things I need to do before the game. Not changing anything just because it's the Finals.

P. You've talked a lot about your team's adaptability on offense, the different styles you can turn to. Defensively, they bring a lot of that. As you've studied them, what have you seen in terms of the diversity or versatility of their defense?

JALEN BRUNSON: Yes, they're very physical. The way they play, obviously, they're able to pressure on the perimeter. Obviously, having Wemby down there on the weak side creates chaos. They're multidimensional. They have many ways to beat you on both sides of the floor. Obviously, paying attention to details when we play is very important for us.

P. Right now, obviously, you've established yourself, you've built a career, your name and your reputation. Has there been a moment in your career or life when you've felt impostor syndrome, that you didn't belong, that you were uncomfortable?

JALEN BRUNSON: Probably only my rookie year, going into my rookie season, playing informal games with the team in Dallas and then, obviously, seeing Luka do his thing with such ease. It's something I talked about, I don't know when, but a while ago publicly. That was probably the only time. It made me question myself a bit to see how much I really had to work to be in the position I wanted to be in.

P. Victor was here talking about you. He said you reached the NBA Finals through relentless effort. What do you think of him as a player and as a person?

JALEN BRUNSON: Yes, seeing him as a player is pretty incredible. The things he's capable of doing on both sides of the floor. People have never really seen anything like it, in someone his size. It's incredible to see it from a player's perspective. As a rival, it's something you have to be constantly alert about. You never know what he's capable of. That's why the game plan and our discipline to follow it, our attention to detail, are so important when it comes to playing against him, because he's pretty incredible.

P. How does it feel to be here in the NBA Finals as a member of the New York Knicks? How did you manage the extra time this past week? More family time or perhaps you got together to watch some of the Western Conference Finals games?

JALEN BRUNSON: Well, yes, I'm very excited to be here. It's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. You can't take it for granted. How did we use the free time, how did we spend that time? A couple of days off. When we were in the gym, we were focused. We trained pretty hard, understanding that, not knowing yet who we were going to play, we had to prepare for both teams. We didn't want to fall behind. It was really important for us to have those days because we saw how we came out in Game 1 the last time we had rest days. I feel like those days we had were really important for us, definitely.

P. What is the essence of this team that makes you believe you're going to thrive under the biggest spotlight in the NBA?

JALEN BRUNSON: I think we're a focused group. I think we're a hardworking group. I feel like there's been a lot of doubt about us. There's been a lot of noise outside the team that obviously we could talk about, complain about, or do something about. We've always just gone back to the gym, worked on our game individually. When it was time to train, we were focused; when games came, we kept improving more and more. I think our mentality is in the right place at the right time. We just have to stay focused and keep learning. Even today, we can't be satisfied just because we're here; we have to keep learning.

P. I know you don't remember '99, the games, because of your age, but Allan Houston is nearby, Patrick Ewing, your father. As you reach this position as a leader, is there anything you take from the stories about the essence of that team that you implement in your way of leading?

JALEN BRUNSON: I think when it comes to being a leader, there are many different types of leaders in this world. The way I've approached being a leader is to take small parts of different things I've learned from other leaders and try to make them my own. You hear stories about people's experiences in different situations. But the biggest experiences you really get by going through things. As a leader, it's just about making sure we're all on the same page, that we all learn together, that we all hold each other accountable. We're going to go through this together, with ups and downs, like we have so far. That's what's most important.