Jalen Brunson on his future: I’ll talk about that another time

New York Knicks star Jalen Brunson was asked if this season was a success. “No,” he said flatly.

When asked why, he responded, “Did we win the championship? Did we get close?”

The injury occurred in the third quarter when Brunson swiped down at Tyrese Haliburton and felt something in his hand. After a brief return to the court, he left the game for good with 3:02 remaining in the third quarter.

“I thought I just jammed it,” Brunson said. “But when I looked down, I knew something was wrong.”

Brunson had an outstanding season, finishing fifth in the NBA’s MVP voting and averaging 32.4 points in the playoffs. However, despite an earlier foot injury in the series, the Knicks were eliminated by the Indiana Pacers, who set a record for shooting accuracy in a Game 7 playoff.

“I would say there’s pros and cons to how I played,” Brunson said. “The pros are I played well individually at some points in the playoffs. The cons are that I didn’t play well enough to help my team move forward.”

When asked about the possibility of signing an extension with the Knicks this summer, Brunson responded, “I’ll talk about that another time.” Regarding the team’s trajectory, he said, “I think we’re making positive strides. We just need to make more.”

Brunson concluded by saying he will focus on personal improvement over the summer: “Every year, I look back on how I can be better as a player. I need to continue striving for perfection, even knowing that I’ll never get there.”