Jalen Brunson had high praise for his former Dallas Mavericks teammate

Although New York Knicks point guard Jalen Brunson left the Dallas Mavericks in free agency, that doesn’t me there has to be any bad blood. In fact, Brunson has as much respect for his former teammate Luka Doncic than ever, despite joining the Knicks for a chance to run his own team – something that would’ve never been a reality for him in Dallas.

During an interview with USA Today’s Sports Seriously, Brunson revealed what it was like playing with Doncic and how special he believes his former teammate already is after four NBA seasons and countless international basketball accolades.

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“It wasn’t really difficult (to play alongside him) because you knew what it was. Luka is such a great talent. He can do anything on the court,” said Brunson. “I think, for me, I kind of figured out how to play with him because he’s so dominant. He knows how to play the game, he knows how to help his team win. I truly loved playing with him because we were in a position to win every night, because of him.

“I’ve said this numerous times and I’ll continue to say it until I speak it into existence; That dude is a first-ballot Hall of Famer.”

Although Doncic already has three All-NBA First Team selections added to his resume, the 23-year-old superstar still has a long way to go in order to reach all of his goals. Doncic has admitted that it would be amazing for him to eventually win the league’s MVP award – he’s the preseason betting favorite for the third consecutive year – but the biggest goal of all is finding a way to win an NBA championship.

With Brunson as his sidekick, Doncic got close to realizing that dream in last season’s playoffs, as the Mavs made it all the way to the Western Conference Finals before falling to the eventual-champion Golden State Warriors.

Will he be able to get as far this season without Brunson helping him carry the load? Perhaps not … but who are we to question a first-ballot Hall of Fame talent