Why did Jalen Brunson fall to the second round in the 2018 NBA Draft? Scouting report shows size and defense problems

There’s no doubt about it: Jalen Brunson is a star.

Brunson proved to have star potential in his first season with the Knicks. In his second season, he emerged as an MVP candidate. He was among the league leaders in scoring with 28.7 points per game and led New York to 50 wins for the first time in a decade.

If you’re not familiar with Brunson’s journey, you might be surprised to hear that he wasn’t one of the top picks in his draft. In fact, he wasn’t even a first-round pick. Concerns about how his game would translate from college to the pros caused him to fall to the third pick in the second round.

Why did Brunson fall into the draft and who was selected ahead of him?

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Why did Jalen Brunson fall to the second round in the 2018 NBA Draft?

After three years at Villanova, where he averaged 14.4 points and 3.7 assists per game, the Mavericks selected Brunson with the No. 33 pick in the 2018 NBA Draft.

We rated the pick a B+ at the time, with TSN’s draft expert Chris Stone calling it a “solid selection” for Dallas.

Brunson has decent size at 6-2 and 190 pounds, but his 6-4 wingspan was considered below average for his position. His athleticism was also a concern. After his freshman season at Villanova, DraftExpress wrote that Brunson “won’t blow anyone away with his speed or explosiveness, even at the college level.”

The biggest question for Brunson came from the other side of the court. His size was again seen as a weakness as he would be limited to defending one position in the NBA. Even then, it remained to be seen how he would measure up to the likes of Stephen Curry, Damian Lillard, Russell Westbrook and Kyrie Irving.

“Brunson projects as a player who can only defend one position, the point guard position, and it is not 100 percent clear that Brunson would be successful defending rookie NBA point guards,” NBADraft.net wrote.

For the most part, Brunson was expected to be a backup point guard in the NBA. Bleacher Report compared him to one-time All-Star Jameer Nelson and Andre Miller, who had 17-year careers.

Brunson was a backup for three seasons. He was inserted into the starting lineup in 2021-2022 and played a key role in the Mavericks reaching the Western Conference Finals in 2022, landing him a $104 million contract with the Knicks, which was in doubt at the time, but now is a bargain.

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Who was drafted before Jalen Brunson?

32 players heard their names called for Brunson in the 2018 NBA Draft. The list includes some superstars, but also some players who have barely played in the NBA.

In 2023, Steph Noh and I redrafted the 2018 NBA Draft. Brunson finished sixth behind Doncic, Gilgeous-Alexander, Young, Jackson and Bridges.

A year later, Brunson has a case that could rank as high as third.