Jalen Brunson carried over much of what he brought to the Knicks this season in Team USA’s opening 117-74 win over Puerto Rico on Monday night. His poise and leadership was evident from the start of camp, but we got to see it full-fledged in the squad’s first exhibition game of the FIBA Basketball World Cup.
Brunson scored 11 points, grabbed 12 rebounds, dished out three assists and recorded a steal and a block in a +23 performance leading to the easy opening victory.
Though it wasn’t his strongest night from the field, shooting just 3-for-8 and 0-for-4 from downtown, Brunson showed what kind of impact he could make without his scoring.