“Chubby, not quite fast,” Mark Cuban hilariously reveals scouting report for Jalen Brunson
Mark Cuban left the NBA world in splits after his recent exhange on the rommates show alongside Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart.
Jalen Brunson and Mark Cuban
The Dallas Mavericks’ former majority owner, Mark Cuban has caught the attention of all basketball fans around the world. His recent comments regarding his former player, Jalen Brunson on the Roommates Show tickled the NBA community. Notably, Brunson is now a star with the New York Knicks but Cuban took everyone back to his rookie days.
Surprisingly, Brunson was not regarded as a top talent moving out of Villanova. He was taken as the 33rd pick in the 2018 NBA Draft by the Dallas Mavericks. Notably, Cuban was questioned why they chose him on the Roommates Show.
I'll tell you the whole war room story, man, it was great, so, we picked Luka (Doncic), traded up to get Luka, and we get to 31. And there's all the scouts that were like, JB, JB, JB, JB, he's a winner, yada yada, little bit chubby, not quite as fast, not super athletic, but he's a winner, he's a cleanup kid, you can't put a value on that.Mark Cuban On the Rommates Show
Interestingly, co-host Hillman mentioned that Cuban didn’t have to bring up the ‘chubby’ part, but it surely improved the story. As for Brunson, he never was the quickest or most athletic, but he is a successful player. He joined the NBA after claiming two national titles at Villanova and being awarded the 2018 Naismith Player of the Year. Now, he is the Knicks’ untouchable star going into the 2024-25 NBA season and will be hoping to deliver some much-needed success for his side.
Jalen Brunson was the ‘only’ player to not make 1st round of the 2018 NBA Draft amongst Villanova teammates
Jalen Brunson is one of the most underrated players in the NBA right now. He single-handedly carried the New York Knicks to the NBA Playoffs this past 2023-24 season. However, there was a time when Brunson did not even make the 1st round of the NBA Draft. This was back in 2018 when Brunson was the ‘only’ player to not make the 1st round of the 2018 draft amongst his Villanova teammates, Mikal Bridges, Donte DiVincenzo, and Omari Spellman.
After he averaged 14.4 points and 3.7 assists per game over his three years at Villanova, Brunson was chosen by the Mavericks as the No. 33 pick in the 2018 NBA Draft. Although Brunson weighs 190 pounds and is 6-2, his 6-4 wingspan was considered below standard for his position. Another issue was his athleticism. These were some of the reasons why Brunson did not make it in the 1st round of the 2018 NBA Draft list.
Interestingly, for three seasons, Brunson served as a backup. Later on, he was promoted to the starting lineup for the 2021–2022 season. Brunson ended up contributing significantly to the Mavericks’ run to the Western Conference Finals in 2022. This saw him strike a $104 million deal with the Knicks, which looked debatable at the time but is now a steal.
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Kartik Mudaliar
(450 Articles Published)