Knicks HC Hypes Jalen Brunson: 'No Fake-a-Gram or Instagram or Whatever They Call It'

Jalen Brunson was a first-time All-Star this season, which just goes to show that there really is no limit for basketball players when they stop scrolling Fake-A-Gram and focus on their game.

Or something like that.

New York Knicks Head coach Tom Thibodeau praised the guard's work ethic and also seemed to have some fun with the name Instagram in the process:

"As soon as we signed Jalen, it was immediately into the gym," Thibodeau told reporters. "... There's no Fake-A-Gram or Instagram, or whatever they call it. It sets the tone for your team."

Thibodeau's comments echo those of legendary NFL coach Bill Belichick, who famously mixed up the names of social-media apps and websites during his press conferences when he was the leader of the New England Patriots.

There is also genuine praise of Brunson that shouldn't be completely overshadowed by the "Fake-A-Gram" line.

The Villanova product wasted no time setting the tone for the Knicks as soon as he signed with the team ahead of the 2022-23 campaign. After playing the first four seasons of his career on the Dallas Mavericks and being overshadowed at times by Luka Dončić, Brunson stepped into a starring role with New York.

All he did was lead it to its first playoff-series victory in a decade last season and put it in an even better position this season.

New York enters Sunday's regular-season finale against the Chicago Bulls with an opportunity to earn the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference. If they defeat Chicago and the Milwaukee Bucks lose to the Orlando Magic, they will be in the No. 2 seed and face one of the teams to emerge from the play-in tournament in the first round.

That would also give New York home-court advantage against every potential Eastern Conference playoff foe except the top-seeded Boston Celtics, which could set the stage for a run to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since the 1999-00 campaign.

Brunson, who is averaging 28.6 points, 6.7 assists and 3.6 rebounds per game while shooting 48 percent from the field and 40.2 percent from deep, is the driving force behind the Knicks' success.

Even if that leaves him with little time for social-media apps, real or imagined.