Rick Brunson’s message to Knicks’ Jalen Brunson amid ‘subpar’ NBA Finals start

Jalen Brunson and the New York Knicks may be just two wins away from winning the franchise’s first championship since 1979, but they have already made history. Brunson’s father, Rick Brunson, is currently an assistant coach at the Knicks and was part of the Knicks team that reached the NBA Finals in 1999, making the two the first father-son duo in NBA history to reach the Finals for the same franchise.

And well, ski-high expectations may run in the family as well, with Jalen recently claiming that his showing in the two games thus far have been sub-par, per a post on X by Good Morning America. His father, however, had a simple message in response.

EXCLUSIVE: @ReeveWill speaks with Knicks star Jalen Brunson and his father, Rick Brunson, a former NBA player and current Knicks assistant coach, about the game, the Finals, and their relationship on and off the court. pic.twitter.com/ZGSHOIrdPV

— Good Morning America (@GMA) June 8, 2026

“I don’t rate Jalen on whether the ball goes in or out. And that’s what I talk to him about. It’s about taking the right shot, his shot, and just trying to keep him confident. That is when I am more of a coach, and make sure he is doing what he is doing,” he explained.

The Knicks superstar himself explained that when he said ‘subpar,’ he meant that there were still ways in which he could help his team and impact games. On paper, Brunson has scored 50 points in two games thus far, alongside eight assists and eight rebounds.

However, the ‘sub-par’ part may as well be with respect to his shooting, with Brunson having converted just 19 of a whopping 56 shots he has taken in the two games so far. That has come alongside two extremely physical showings on the defensive end of the court, with Brunson having led his team from the front throughout the playoffs this year.

That has resulted in a 13-game winning streak for New York, the second-best in NBA history during the postseason. And while he has had his struggles with shooting, Brunson has continued to take shots at volume, which appears to be exactly what his father demands.

That approach looks increasingly likely to land him his first championship of his career as well.

The post Rick Brunson’s message to Knicks’ Jalen Brunson amid ‘subpar’ NBA Finals start appeared first on ClutchPoints.