2021-2022 MAVS NEWS: 4th in West | WCF loss [ARCHIVED]

[DallasBasketball]

No, that´s who he has always been. He´s very good at putting the ball and his head down, getting to his spots and score at a high percentage. He´s never been good, when trying to play like a true PG, dribble and have his head up to scan the floor for developing plays. It crashes his system. That´s when he gets incredibly sloppy with the ball and turns it over.

Another reason we so desperately need another playmaker, not only to reduce Luka´s workload, but also to allow Brunson to play to his strengths.

I also agree that the play-offs destroyed the sentiment of Brunson, but here we enter another perception vs. reality debate. Playing Trey Burke over Brunson in the last games had that psychological effect, because obviously if you are replaced by Trey Burke you had to be horrible.

The reality is that he was very good in the first three games, when all the Mavs played out of their mind and he was really bad in the last four games, also like all the Mavs, except Luka/DFS.

My take on the Clippers series and Brunson is analogous to a Toyota Camry vs. something more versatile like a Jeep or something more powerful like a Corvette. 

Brunson is like a Toyota Camry or a Honda Civic. In most situations he will deliver, but if he’s asked to go off-road or out pace someone, that’s not gonna be his game.

The Clippers defense was championship level. At times it took a Jeep to get over and around, other times it took a Corvette to cut through or to out pace. When they went small with even more speed, they overwhelmed Brunson.

This isn’t saying anything good about Brunson. It’s more or less saying he’s not a championship level guard if facing the Clippers or another defense like it. But against MOST of the nba, he is more than competent. 

Competency at that level shouldn’t be discarded as if it has no value. Maybe his competency, combined with another player of a different competency, could allow him to find more solid footing. (Dragic as the crafty vet; Brunson as the younger workhorse)

Also, he’s very young. He could surprise us and learn from the Clippers playoff defense experience. He’s very talented at putting the ball in the hole when he is able to play at his pace. I’ve got my hope in an idea that what he’ll learn from last summer will force him to implement some new tricks and change up his process. A sliver here and there is sometimes all it takes when you are as skilled as he is.

I don’t know if Nico will be happy with a Honda Civic long-term, but I like that he’s young, very good overall and has a chance to improve still.