Knicks' Jalen Brunson Talks NBA Championship Goal, Mike Brown, Villanova and More in B/R Interview

Jalen Brunson is coming off his third straight All-Star appearance, has an opportunity to make First-Team All-NBA for the first time in his career and is the face of the franchise for the New York Knicks under the bright lights of Madison Square Garden.

But there's only one thing that matters to him when it comes to achieving success this season.

"We have to win," Brunson told Bleacher Report. "Anything less than that, and we fall short of our goal. The goal has always been to help my team win a championship, and I'm focusing on that."

He is certainly helping put his team in a position to achieve that goal by averaging 26.8 points, 6.2 assists and 3.4 rebounds per game while shooting 47.1 percent from the field and 37.1 percent from deep as New York's go-to option in crunch time and leader of the offense.

It is a familiar position, as Brunson was also exactly that last season during what seemed like a golden opportunity for the Knicks to reach the NBA Finals with home-court advantage in an Eastern Conference Finals matchup against the Indiana Pacers.

Brunson Scores 47 vs. Heat

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Yet the Pacers prevailed in a setback that could ultimately serve as a motivating factor for New York when the playoffs arrive again in fewer than two months.

"Whenever you get close like that, it feels like an opportunity slipped through your hands," Brunson said. "We knew taking the next step is one of our goals, but we can't just jump right back in. We have to start our journey all over again and integrate everything together. It's not easy, but it's something we're thinking about every single day. And that's what we're pushing for."

One thing that will be much different this time around for the Knicks is who is leading the way on the sidelines.

They fired head coach Tom Thibodeau after that loss to the Pacers and hired veteran Mike Brown in his place. Brown arrived in the Big Apple with a 454-304 record across 11 different seasons as the head coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers, Los Angeles Lakers and Sacramento Kings during a stretch that included two NBA Coach of the Year awards.

He also led the 2006-07 Cavaliers to the NBA Finals and is well on his way to an eighth playoff appearance in 12 coaching seasons.

It also didn't take Brown long to make a positive impression on the team's star player.

"Mike's a great guy," Brunson said. "The person he is and the way he introduced himself to me and my family was something that really stood out. The person he is has made an impact on us as a team. Just who he is and how he carries himself. As a coach, he pushes us every single day and wants us to be better by holding us accountable so we can become the best team we can be. And he's been doing that since day one."

That approach has the Knicks on the short list of realistic Eastern Conference contenders alongside the Detroit Pistons, Boston Celtics and Cavaliers.

Given how close those teams are on paper, any singular move could be the difference between an early playoff exit and an NBA Finals run. With that as the backdrop, it was anything but surprising when there was plenty of speculation surrounding the Knicks ahead of the Feb. 5 trade deadline.

They were one of the teams connected to Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Karl-Anthony Towns was seen as a possible trade chip. However, the front office decided to keep the core together heading into the stretch run in what seemed like a vote of confidence about what Brunson and Co. can do come playoff time.

"I feel like they believe in us, but most importantly we believe in each other," the guard said. "So the team that we have, we feel like we have enough and we're good enough. Our attention to detail is going to be better every single day. We know the details and all the little things matter, and our play has shown that. We definitely had a little bit of a low in January, but we're fighting back and we have to continue to do that."

While New York didn't make any franchise-altering moves, it did add Jose Alvarado from the New Orleans Pelicans.

The trade gave the team some much-needed veteran backcourt depth with Miles McBride sidelined by injury and a pesky perimeter defender who can pick up ball-handlers full court and transform how the Knicks approach that side of the ball.

Alvarado also made quite the impression on the offensive end when he drained eight three-pointers against the Philadelphia 76ers in just his second game with the Knicks.

"I think he's a great teammate first and foremost," Brunson said. "He just wants to bring energy and help the team win, that's just who he is. I'm really excited we have him, I think he's going to integrate well with us."

When he isn't figuring out ways to thrive with his new teammate on the court, Brunson is representing Body Armor as part of its "Choose Better" campaign that stresses the importance of making intentional choices in life and with hydration.

The partnership also comes as Body Armor returns as the official hydration partner of March Madness.

"We've been working together for a couple years now, and it's been fantastic," Brunson said. "I feel like our ideas align, and they've always helped me with everything on and off the court. With this campaign and sponsoring March Madness, I think that's really cool as well since some of my highlights came during that time. And this Choose Better campaign telling student athletes to commit to themselves by choosing better every single day, most importantly with hydration, is something I truly believe in."

Brunson is an ideal partner for a March Madness-based campaign, as he was a Villanova legend when he played three seasons in the collegiate ranks from 2015-16 through 2017-18.

His resume with the Wildcats included two national championships, an Associated Press Player of the Year, a Wooden Award, a Naismith Award, a Big East Player of the Year award and two All-Big East nods, but he thinks about more than just the on-court success when he reflects back on those days.

"Obviously, you remember winning and holding up the trophy, but the relationships that were made during those couple years mean the most to me," Brunson said. "I think college is a little different now with the landscape, but my time in college is something I'll never forget regardless of the winning. It was a great time, and I made great relationships that last to this day."

He also added while laughing that "the winning did help."

Villanova did plenty of winning as a national powerhouse when Brunson was leading the way, and that continued with a Final Four run in 2022 when he was in the NBA.

However, the Wildcats have not returned to the men's tournament since that Final Four run, and three straight seasons missing the Big Dance led to a coaching change that is paying off to this point.

This is Kevin Willard's first season as Villanova's head coach after previous stops as the head coach of Iona, Seton Hall and Maryland, and the Wildcats are well on their way to snapping their tournament drought with a 21-6 overall record and 12-4 mark in the Big East with four games remaining.

"They play tough, you can never count them out," Brunson said. "That's something that reminds me of my teams when I was there and the teams before me. I'm just really excited to see the success that they're having, I know Coach Willard is going to continue to push them every single day."

With Villanova and the Knicks both in position to make some postseason noise, it could be quite the stretch run of basketball for Brunson in the coming months.