They call him “Captain Clutch” for a reason.
After Knicks All-Star Jalen Brunson erupted in the fourth quarter Wednesday, June 3 to propel New York to steal Game 1 of the NBA Finals over the San Antonio Spurs, his reputation as one of the premier clutch players of this generation is only growing.
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The one thing missing from his résumé in the clutch, however, is an NBA title. And with the Knicks now just three wins away from that, presuming more close games are coming, a championship would instantly catapult Brunson to the top of the list of his contemporaries. Whether it’s alongside two-time consecutive Most Valuable Player Shai Gilgeous-Alexander or in line with aging stars like Stephen Curry or even compared to some of the game’s icons like Michael Jordan, Brunson, 29, would reach a new level if the Knicks win their first title in 53 years.
Since the 2023 NBA playoffs, Brunson has scored 144 clutch points. The next closest player is Gilgeous-Alexander, with 84. After those two, it’s three-time Nuggets MVP Nikola Jokić, arguably the best player in the world.
This presumes a couple of things: New York has both been in the postseason and has made deep runs, and Brunson has been healthy and available. Given the grind of the modern NBA, that’s no small feat.
But what is it, exactly, that makes Brunson so good late in tight games?
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For one, he’s deliberate and efficient, and he does not waste movement in getting to his spots.
Brunson scored 13 of his 30 points Wednesday night in the fourth quarter, on 5-of-9 shooting in the period. In fact, once the game reached the clutch, which the NBA defines as a game that’s within five points or fewer and in the final five minutes of regulation, Brunson scored 5 points, including the go-ahead, corner 3-pointer with 1:50 to play that sparked an 11-0 New York run to close out the game.
Although he’s just 6-foot-2 and is nowhere near the most athletic player on the floor, Brunson wields an uncanny ability to use his leverage to bait and unsettle defenders, manipulating them into compromised positions.
“And Jalen, he was the MVP in the second half,” Knicks coach Mike Brown said Wednesday night after the game. “He was huge for us. He did what MVP candidates are supposed to do: he carried us home.
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“We put the ball in his hands and he got it done for us down the stretch.”
Brunson has also mastered the angles of hoops, especially late in games. And this is where his shorter stature helps him.
New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson reacts in the second half of Game 1 of the 2026 NBA Finals at Frost Bank Center.
Brunson doesn’t attack in straight lines; he weaves into the tight cracks in the paint, wiggling into his preferred spot on the floor, the right elbow. He’ll deploy crossovers and spins, will tease his shoulders (while maintaining his pivot foot), and, then, once a defender recovers, he’ll get him airborne with timely pump fakes.
“He’s going to get to his spots regardless,” Spurs rookie guard Dylan Harper said after the game. “It’s kind of how he picks his angles, gets to his spots. He probably does it beyond the best.”
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Yet, what separates Brunson from the rest of his contemporaries is truly elite shot-making. It’s not just that Brunson is hitting shots, it’s the degree of difficulty with which he’s lacing them.
Wednesday night, in a pivotal possession inside the final minute with the Knicks carrying a four-point lead and the shot clock winding down, Brunson spun, stepped back, pump faked and then had to alter the angle of his rainbow shot to drain it past Spurs guard Devin Vassell.
Last season, in New York’s closeout game in the first round against the Pistons, with the game tied at 113 in the fourth quarter, Brunson worked Detroit’s all-world stopper, Ausar Thompson, on a step-back and swished a 3-pointer with 4.3 seconds left to win the game.
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There are countless others just like this. Likely, there will be many more.
And if he can deliver a Finals to New York, a blue chip fan base with a massive reach, a city starved for a title, Brunson would etch his name among the game’s greatest.
“It starts with my confidence,” Brunson said Wednesday night. “It comes with my work ethic. I think, most importantly, knowing we’re on the road, and knowing my teammates have my back, I think that’s the biggest thing in an environment like this.
“The trust they have in me and the trust I have in them, it has got us to this point. I’m very thankful for them every single night we go out there together.”
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Why is Jalen Brunson called Captain Clutch? Because Knicks star is
