Sielski: Brunson and his old-school game fit just fine at 'Nova
NEWARK, N.J. - Growing up in suburban Chicago, with a former point guard for a father and an NBA most valuable player running the show for the hometown NBA team, Jalen Brunson spent hours upon hours watching film to sharpen his mind and hone his skills. But it was never the flashiest players at his position who were his objects of study.
NEWARK, N.J. - Growing up in suburban Chicago, with a former point guard for a father and an NBA most valuable player running the show for the hometown NBA team, Jalen Brunson spent hours upon hours watching film to sharpen his mind and hone his skills. But it was never the flashiest players at his position who were his objects of study.
Derrick Rose, dribbling from one end of the floor to the other in a blur, twisting in a reverse layup at the rim for the Bulls? Russell Westbrook, launching himself from the foul line for a did-you-see-that dunk for the Oklahoma City Thunder? Brunson had little time to focus on either of them. He wasn't interested in trying to learn from players whose athleticism he knew he didn't possess. Instead, his muses were more old-school. So he pored over film of Chris Paul, Steve Nash, and his dad, Rick, a star at Temple, a 10-year NBA vet, noticing the way each of them kept an entire game on a string when the ball was in his hands, changing the tempo and manipulating the resulting actions at will, as if each were a deejay deciding whether what was happening on the dance floor would be fast and frenetic or slow and sweet.
Even if Brunson stays at Villanova for his four years of eligibility - and with the way he's playing in his sophomore season, the possibility that he will turn pro before becoming a senior, even a junior, increases all the time - he might never model that pure point guard behavior better than he did Saturday. He scored 22 points and had 10 assists in the Wildcats' 92-70 rout of Seton Hall at the Prudential Center, making all seven of his shots from the field, including two three-pointers, and committing just three turnovers.
"I've never been the fastest or the guy who has the explosive, sexy game," Brunson said. "But I've always been able to start and stop and change speeds. That's the thing I've always had in my game, and that's what my dad taught me. . . . We just watched film, film, film where he'd say, 'This is what you have to do.' And I'd just work on it, work on it, work on it. I have that mental edge."
He was at his best over that telltale stretch of a game that often seems to happen for Villanova, now 26-2 - those minutes when the Wildcats decide enough is enough and their opponent has ceased to amuse them and must be dispatched. With 3 minutes, 10 seconds left in the first half, Villanova led, 29-27. The Wildcats' remaining offensive possessions in the half unfolded like this:
Brunson hit two free throws to put them up four. He hit a three-pointer to put them up four. He found Mikal Bridges for a three-pointer to put them up seven. He found Kris Jenkins for a layup to put them up eight. He hit another three-pointer with 17 seconds left to put them up 11.
Villanova then began the second half on an 11-0 run, and Brunson was again the catalyst: a pass to Eric Paschall for a three, a no-look pass to Bridges for a dunk, a pass to Paschall for an and-one three-point play, a pass to Paschall for a three-pointer. The lead ballooned to 22. Twenty four consecutive points for 'Nova, and Brunson either scored or assisted on every one, as if he alone controlled the outcome of every possession.
"That's the word: He just controlled the game," Villanova coach Jay Wright said. "When he sees that we need scoring from that position, he does it, and when he sees that we need him to organize us, he does it. That's the beauty of a great point guard. Some guys see they need to score, but they can't score. Some guys are scorers, and they know they've got to go on offense, but they struggle with it. He's great at both."
Brunson had entered Villanova as arguably the most ballyhooed freshman point guard in the country, yet because of Ryan Arcidiacono's presence, he didn't assume full reign over the Wildcats offense until this season. It's worth noting, though, two things about Brunson's development.
One, he has improved in virtually every offensive category from last season to this one. His field-goal, three-point, and free-throw percentages and his scoring average all have increased. Two, his production this season is in many regards better than what Arcidiacono provided as a senior in 2015-16. Brunson is shooting 54 percent from the field; Arcidiacono shot 45 percent. Brunson is shooting 40 percent from three-point range; Arcidiacono shot 39. Brunson is averaging 14.6 points a game; Arcidiacono averaged 12.5.
"I'm just stepping into the role I'm comfortable in," he said. "I took a little backseat to Archie last year. It's what the team needed, and it worked out pretty well."
Just then, he smiled a small, knowing smile, because it worked out pretty well was an understated way of saying we won the national championship. They can do it again this season, and they showed as much again Saturday, when a young point guard with an un-sexy game showed the value of all he's learned.