Team-first guy Jalen Brunson does all the right things

The way New York Knick coach Tom Thibodeau describes it, guard Jalen Brunson has the blueprint on how to become an NBA player. Play hard, stay focused on the task at hand, and continue being solid as a rock.

When Thibodeau was an assistant coach with the Knicks and Brunson’s dad – Rick Brunson – played for the Knicks from 1999-2001, Jalen used to frequently come to the gym and get up a few shots.

“You knew he loved the game,” Thibodeau said before the Dallas Mavericks stunned the Knicks, 126-121, in overtime Tuesday at American Airlines Center. “He was always around the gym, always around his father.

“When Rick played for the Knicks – (Jalen is) coming in and he’s six years old, and he could imitate every player on the team.”

That imitation eventually led to Brunson having a stellar prep career at Stevenson High School in suburban Chicago, and also led to him becoming a two-time NCAA champion at Villanova. The Mavs using the No. 33 overall pick in the 2018 draft to select Brunson.

“Just follow his career, his high school career and what he accomplished there, and then to go out in college and do what he did there, and of course for the start of his career here (in Dallas),” Thibodeau said. “That’s the story of his life – everywhere he’s been – and he always gets better.

“He’s a team-first guy. He’s always about all the right things.”

Brunson played his first four NBA seasons for the Mavs before leaving via free agency over the summer to sign a four-year, $104 million contract with the Knicks. And to show their appreciation for what he did for them, the Mavs played a video tribute catered to Brunson at the conclusion of the first quarter.

At the end of the video, the song, We Are Family, by Sister Sledge was playing throughout the arena. That’s because that’s how the Mavs view Brunson — as family.

“They have great fans here,” Thibodeau said. “I think there’s an appreciation any time a player does well for your organization – and the organization was great to him, too. That’s sort of where our league is.

“It’s not like it was 10 or 15 years ago. Players change teams and it’s all part of it. Everyone’s fan base has an appreciation for the type of player that he is. I think a player that gives his all every day and puts the team first, there’s an appreciation for that league-wide.”

Mavs coach Jason Kidd certainly appreciates what Brunson did for him last season.

“Brunson was — for the year that we had him — he was incredible,” Kidd said. “You could see someone from the start grow on and off the floor, was a true pro, was always ready for the moment.

“I think he showed the world that he could run a team when Luka (Doncic) was out. He’s had a heckuva season here, he’s had some bumps and bruises like everyone else, but he’s a heckuva player and he’s a true pro.”

Brunson didn’t play in Tuesday’s game due to a sore hip. He is averaging 20.2 points and 6.6 assists this season, with Thibodeau adding that he’s everything the Knicks hoped he would be.

“The way he practices, the way he is in meetings, who he is as a person, I think that stuff’s invaluable to a team,” Thibodeau said. “I’ve always been a big believer in the best leadership you can have are the things that you do each and every day. There’s a lot of guys that will say all the right things and will do none of them, but your actions will always reflect your priorities.

“So you can tell what’s important to him. Just watch him. He’s not one of those rah-rah beat my chest type of guys. He’s all about the team, he’s all about winning, he’s all about work, he’s all about unselfishness. When you have that — I think the nature of his position being a point guard – it’s one of leadership and it’s uniting and inspiring your team. I think he does that on a daily basis.”

Thibodeau went on to say: “He’s the ultimate pro. He’s just got a great feel for everything. He’s steady. Nothing throws him off.

“I know you (Dallas media) guys were around him (and) you like the way he prepares. He’s not going to ever get too high. He doesn’t get too low. It’s just steady every day. You know what you’re going to get.”

BRIEFLY: Coach Jason Kidd would like nothing better than to cut down on Luka Doncic’s minutes. Particularly in the second half. In last Friday’s game against the Houston Rockets he played the whole second half. He played all but 14.5 seconds of the second half and overtime of Tuesday’s game against the Knicks. “It’s just something that we’re going to have to talk about as the week goes on,” Kidd said. “He’s been going, but we can’t do that for the rest of the season. That doesn’t put us in a position for the playoffs – to run someone’s minutes up like that. We will talk. We have been talking. Right now he feels great, but we have to figure out how to get him a break at some point.”. . . Dorian Finney-Smith, Josh Green and Maxi Kleber all missed Tuesday’s game. Kleber had surgery on Dec. 20 to repair a right hamstring tear, Finney-Smith has a right adductor strain and Green has a right elbow sprain. Kidd said Kleber will not make the upcoming two-game road trip when the Mavs play Saturday in San Antonio and Monday in Houston. He also said he will have an update on Finney-Smith in two weeks. “And for Josh, Friday marks three weeks (since his injury on Dec. 9 against the Milwaukee Bucks), so we will re-evaluate him on Friday,” Kidd said. “He’s doing good.”. . . Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw was sitting courtside at Tuesday’s game. A Highland Park native, Kershaw won a World Series with the Dodgers in 2020 and is a three-time National League Cy Young Award winner . . . Kemba Walker was playing well with the New York Knicks last season. Then all of a sudden he was out of the rotation and he wasn’t playing. Why? “Look, I love Kemba,” Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau. “He’s been a great player in the league for a long time. The only issue we had with Kemba was health. If Kemba is healthy he’s a great guy and he’s a great player.”. . . Kidd said one of the reasons the Mavs signed guard A. J. Lawson to a two-way contract on Monday was because it gives them another wing player in case of foul difficulties, and because he’s familiar with the Mavs’ system. “Just being able to have someone who’s participated with us in the summer and understands what we’re trying to do as coaches,” Kidd said. “He has teammates in there that he’s played with. So just getting someone who understands what we’re trying to do was a big thing, but also having a bigger wing.”

Twitter: @DwainPrice