'He's us -- except he's very good at basketball': ...
Key takeaways
- His size, his athleticism, his talent.
- The verdict was fairly conclusive, as Brunson fell into the second round of the 2018 draft, while three of his Villanova teammates were drafted in the first round.
- Then-Dallas Mavericks general manager Donnie Nelson couldn't believe his good fortune.
Why this matters: a sports story that could shift standings, legacies, or fan conversations.
His size, his athleticism, his talent. Becky Hammon hadn't even been asked about whether a stocky, 6-foot-2 point guard could really be the best player on a New York Knicks team with championship aspirations, let alone one that's two wins away from the franchise's first title since 1973 as the NBA Finals continue tonight from Madison Square Garden at 8:30 p.m. ET on ABC.
This was back when talent evaluators and general managers across the league had already rendered their own verdict on whether two national titles at Villanova and a national player of the year award could translate to the NBA.
The verdict was fairly conclusive, as Brunson fell into the second round of the 2018 draft, while three of his Villanova teammates were drafted in the first round.