Want To Stop Jalen Brunson? Just Ask Gary Payton

To 29 other NBA teams, Jalen Brunson is a massive problem. His scoring skills are refined, his playmaking is on point, and his physical frame is tough to stop.

So, what do defenders need to do when they go up against Brunson? Maybe ask for help from a former Defensive Player of the Year.

Gary Payton has been called a menace, a pest, and a bully on the defensive end, and rightfully so. Appearing on the “Putback” show with Ian Begley, the one-time NBA champion laid out his game plan if he were to have the privilege of taking on JB.

“With Brunson, what you would have to do is, because he’s so strong and he’s so crafty with scoring the basketball, you have to make him very uncomfortable,” Payton outlined. “I think that you have to make him do things that he’s not comfortable with.”

The Glove, who has taken on the likes of Michael Jordan and John Stockton in his career, knows better than to let an elite scorer get into a groove. According to Payton, one way to prevent this is to try to tire Brunson out. “You gotta make him play defense and try to get him in foul trouble, so that he won’t be effective,” Payton pointed out.

Though baiting Brunson into foul trouble appears like a sound plan, the part about wearing on his stamina might not faze the Knicks star. After all, Brunson blossomed into a top-tier competitor under the system of former Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau, who was infamous for barely giving any rest to his core players.

Payton added that he’d be aggressive on the defensive end in order to contain Brunson. “I think I would get the ball out of his hands,” he said. “I would trap him a lot and make other people effective on his basketball team.”

Once again, this scheme sounds good on paper, but the Knicks loaded up on firepower last season with the acquisition of Karl Anthony-Towns. As a matter of fact, in the Knicks’ first season under new head coach Mike Brown, they are second in offensive rating and seventh in true shooting percentage.

Sadly, the scenario of prime Payton taking on this current iteration of Brunson could only exist in the imagination of NBA fans. For what it’s worth, the former Seattle SuperSonics and Miami Heat guard has offered suggestions that a team or two could learn from as they continue to contend with Brunson.