Dallas Mavericks (2018–2022) Sixth man role (2018–2021) with the
Dallas Mavericks in a game against the
Cleveland Cavaliers in 2021 On June 21, 2018, the
Dallas Mavericks drafted Brunson with the 33rd overall pick. He was the fourth and final Villanova player to be selected in the
2018 NBA draft. Brunson did not sign until after he completed his
2018 NBA Summer League play and was accorded a 4-year contract similar to a first round selection with 3-years guaranteed. He made his NBA debut on October 17, 2018, recording three points, one rebound and an assist, in a 100–121 loss against the
Phoenix Suns. After coming off the bench for his first four NBA games, Brunson started in place of the injured
Dennis Smith Jr. on October 26, against the
Toronto Raptors, scoring eight points, four assists and three rebounds. On November 8, Brunson posted 11 points against
Utah Jazz. Brunson replaced Smith in the starting lineup and posted career highs of 14 points on December 8 against the
Houston Rockets and 17 points on December 10 against the
Orlando Magic. On January 5, he was honored by the
Philadelphia Sports Writers Association as its Amateur Athlete of the Year. That same night, with
J. J. Barea and
Devin Harris sidelined, Brunson posted 13 points, a career-high 11 rebounds, and what was then a career-high eight assists against the
Philadelphia 76ers for his first professional double-double. Starting in place of
Luka Dončić on February 22, Brunson posted a then career-high 22 points against the
Denver Nuggets. On March 12, 2019, Brunson improved upon his career high with 34 points with five rebounds, four assists and a steal in a 105–112 loss to the
San Antonio Spurs. On April 7, Brunson posted a then career-high ten assists along with 12 points against the
Memphis Grizzlies for his second career double-double. With Dončić out of the lineup on December 16, 2019, and Brunson starting, the
2019–20 Mavericks ended an 18-game win streak by the
Milwaukee Bucks, on a night when Brunson posted a career-high 11 assists and his first double-double of the season (13 points). On March 13, 2020, Brunson was reported to have undergone surgery to fix a labrum injury in his right shoulder. During the
2020–21 NBA season, Brunson averaged career highs in points, rebounds and assists, finishing fourth in voting for the
NBA Sixth Man of the Year Award.
Playoff success and departure (2021–2022) In the
2021–22 NBA season, Brunson became a starter and again finished the season achieving career highs in points, rebounds and assists. His breakout continued in the playoffs, where he led the Mavericks, who were without
Luka Dončić for the first three games against the Utah Jazz. On April 16, 2022, during Game 1 of the first round of the playoffs, Brunson logged 24 points, seven rebounds and five assists in a 93–99 loss to the
Utah Jazz. On April 18, during Game 2 of the first round of the playoffs, Brunson had the best game of his career up to that point, where he dropped 41 points, along with eight rebounds and five assists in a 110–104 win over the Jazz. On May 15, Brunson scored 24 points and grabbed six rebounds in a 123–90 Game 7 blowout win against the overall one-seed
Phoenix Suns, securing the Mavericks a place in the
Western Conference Finals. On May 20, during Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals, Brunson recorded 31 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists in a 126–117 loss against the
Golden State Warriors.
New York Knicks (2022–present) Breakthrough (2022–2023) On June 2, 2022, his father was hired by the New York Knicks as an assistant coach. On July 12, 2022, Brunson signed a four-year, $104 million contract with the
New York Knicks. The Knicks were later punished for engaging in conversations with Brunson before the free agency window opened. On October 19, he made his Knicks debut in a 115–112 loss in overtime to the
Memphis Grizzlies, scoring 15 points along with nine assists and six rebounds. On October 26, Brunson scored 27 points, recorded 13 assists, and grabbed seven rebounds during a 134–131 overtime victory against the
Charlotte Hornets. On January 4, 2023, Brunson scored 38 points, alongside seven rebounds and six assists in a 117–114 win over the
San Antonio Spurs. On January 9, Brunson put up a then career-high 44 points in a 111–107 loss to the
Milwaukee Bucks. On January 16, Brunson was recognized as NBA Eastern Conference player of the Week for the week of January 9–15 after averaging 34.8 points, 5.8 rebounds and 5.0 assists with 3 30-point games as the Knicks went 3–1 for the week. It was his first career
NBA Player of the Week award. On January 18, Brunson scored 32 points in a 116–105 loss against the
Washington Wizards. He scored 25-plus points in eight straight games, the longest streak by a Knicks guard since
Dick Barnett in 1965. Barnett logged 25 or more points in 12 consecutive contests. On February 4, Brunson scored 41 points on 14-of-19 shooting, 5-of-7 from three, 8-of-10 from the free throw line, along with five rebounds and seven assists in a 134–128 overtime loss against the
Los Angeles Clippers. On February 8, Villanova retired his jersey. On February 13, Brunson put up 40 points on 15-of-21 shooting from the field and added five assists in a 124–106 win over the
Brooklyn Nets. On March 1, Brunson scored 39 points (30 points in the first half) on 15-of-18 shooting, 5-of-6 from three, 4-of-4 from the free throw line in a 142–118 win over the Brooklyn Nets. On March 2, Brunson won his first
NBA Player of the Month award when he was named the NBA Eastern Conference Player of the Month for February. He finished the month with 27.3 points and 6.0 assists while shooting 42.6% from 3-point range and 52.9% overall. The Knicks went 9–2, finishing out the month with six straight wins. On March 31, Brunson scored a career-high 48 points (33 points in the first half) on 18-of-32 shooting from the floor and delivered nine assists in a 130–116 win over the
Cleveland Cavaliers. In Game 4 of the
Eastern Conference Semifinals against the
Miami Heat, Brunson put up 32 points and 11 assists in a 109–101 loss. He joined
Walt Frazier and
Patrick Ewing as the only players in Knicks history to put up at least 30 points and 10 assists in a playoff game. New York would go on to lose to Miami in six games despite Brunson tying his playoff career-high of 41 points in a 96–92 Game 6 loss.
First All-Star and All-NBA appearances (2023–2024) On November 20, 2023, Brunson earned his second NBA Player of the week award as the Knicks went 3–1 while he averaged 28.5 points and 6.5 assists, including back-to-back 32-point performances. On November 30, Brunson put up 42 points, six rebounds and eight assists in a 118–112 win over the
Detroit Pistons. He also tied the record for the most 40-point games by a point guard (5, Frazier,
Stephon Marbury) in Knicks history. On December 15, he posted a then career-high 50 points on 17–23 shooting, including 9–9 three point shooting, as well as 9 assists, 6 rebounds and 5 steals in a comeback win against the
Phoenix Suns. He became the ninth player to score 50 points as a Knick. and twice tied by
Ben Gordon for the Bulls on April 14, 2006, and for the Pistons on March 21, 2012. It was the first 50-point performance in NBA history without a missed three-point shot (minimum 8 attempts), helping snap a 13-game losing streak by the Knicks against teams with
Kevin Durant. Brunson was 12–12 (8–8 on threes) in the second half from the field, becoming the first NBA player to shoot 8–8 on three point shots in an NBA half. The previous record of 7-for-7 had been held by many players. It had been achieved at least three times each of the prior two NBA seasons. Prior to the
2021–22 NBA season, 5 players had gone 7–7 in an NBA half (all before 2015, first by
Raef LaFrentz). Brunson had a 7–7 (5–5 on threes) 3rd quarter. His 35-point second half was the first time an NBA player had scored over 30 points in a half without missing from the field, while taking at least 10 field goal attempts and 5 three point attempts. Brunson was the sixth player and first since
Anthony Davis to record 50 points, five assists, five steals on October 16, 2016, as well as the first player since
Michael Jordan on March 18, 1988, to record at least 50 points, nine assists, five rebounds and five steals. On January 1, 2024, in new teammate
OG Anunoby's debut with the Knicks, Brunson posted a career-high 14 assists against the
Minnesota Timberwolves. On January 3, he followed that up with 13 assists against the
Chicago Bulls, marking his first pair of games with back-to-back double digit assist totals that season. For the week of January 1—7, he was awarded his second NBA Player of the week award of the season and third of his career as he led the Knicks to a 4–0 record for the week. Later in the month, Brunson posted five consecutive 30-point games. Brunson's January was the 2nd highest single-month
plus-minus (256) in NBA history (to
Scottie Pippen's 272 in November 1996). On February 1, Brunson was named as reserve for the
2024 NBA All-Star Game for the first time in his career. On March 14, he scored 45 points against the
Portland Trail Blazers. On March 16, Brunson scored 42 points against the
Sacramento Kings, becoming the fourth Knick to score 40 or more in back-to-back games, joining Anthony, Patrick Ewing and
Bernard King. On March 18, Brunson earned NBA Eastern Conference Player of the Week recognition for averaging 35.7 points during a 3–0 week for the Knicks. On March 29, Brunson put up a career-high 61 points in a 130–126 overtime loss to the
San Antonio Spurs. The performance was one point shy of the Knicks franchise record by Carmelo Anthony set on January 24, 2014. Brunson was awarded with player of the month for March. He averaged 28.8 points and 5.8 assists per game during the month. On April 7 and 9, Brunson posted 43 points against
Milwaukee and 45 against
Chicago, respectively, for another back-to-back 40+ pair of games. Then, Brunson scored 39 points despite sitting out the fourth quarter against
Boston on April 11. This effort made Brunson the third Knick to have posted 5 consecutive 35+-point games (King: 5, 1984–85; Anthony: 6, 2012–13). By finishing the season with 7 consecutive 30-point games, he tied the Knicks franchise single-season 30-point games record with his 36th (
Richie Guerin, 1961–62; Ewing, 1989–90). The April 14 season finale 40-point performance against the Bulls also tied him with Ewing for second on the Knicks single-season 40-point game list with 11 (behind King, 13). On April 15, Brunson earned Eastern Conference Player of the Week for averaging 38.5 points, 7.5 assists and 3.5 rebounds and shooting 50 percent on three-point shots, while leading the Knicks to a 4–0 record and a number two playoff seeding. Brunson finished 5th in the
NBA Most Valuable Player Award voting and was named to the
All-NBA Second Team for the first time in his career. In Game 4 of the
first round of the playoffs against the
Philadelphia 76ers, Brunson scored 47 points in a 97–92 victory. The tally was a career single-game playoff-high and a Knicks single-game playoff-record. King had twice scored 46 during the
1984 NBA playoffs. With 10 assists, he became the first Knick to score 40 points during an assist-points playoff double double. He also became the first Knick with consecutive 30-point assist-points playoff double-doubles and his 24-point second half established the Knick career record with seven 20+-point playoff halves. He became the first player to close out an NBA playoff series with 3 consecutive 40+-point games since
Michael Jordan did so with
The Shot in the
1989 NBA playoffs. Brunson opened the
second round of the playoffs against the
Indiana Pacers with 43 points and 6 assists, becoming the 4th player in NBA history and first since Jordan in the
1993 NBA Finals to score 40+ in four consecutive playoff games and the first ever to do so with 5+ assists in each of the four playoff games. He also became the first Knick to post five consecutive 30+ point/5+ assist games. In Game 5, he scored 44 points in the game, including 28 in the first half to set a Knicks record for points scored in a playoff half. In Game 7, Brunson fractured his left hand, as the Knicks were eliminated in seven games; shortly after, he underwent surgery to repair his broken hand.
Clutch Player of the Year (2024–2025) On July 12, 2024, two years to the day of his signing with New York, Brunson signed a four-year, $156.5 million contract extension through the 2028–29 season. He would have been eligible for a five-year, $256 million contract in 2025 offseason, but he opted to take less in order to help the team have more flexibity to make future moves. On August 6, the Knicks named Brunson as the 36th captain in franchise history. Brunson earned conference player of the week on December 2. On December 28, Brunson posted 55 points, 42 of which came in the second half or later, including nine in overtime in a 136–132 overtime victory over the
Washington Wizards. On January 25, 2025, Brunson was named as an Eastern Conference starter for the
2025 NBA All-Star Game. On April 23, Brunson was named the
NBA Clutch Player of the Year; during
clutch situations in the regular season, he led the league in made field goals (52), and ranked second in total points (156) and third in total assists (28). In the same situations, he also shot 51.5% from the field, 84.0% from the free throw line and averaged a league-best 5.6 points per game. Brunson finished 10th in
MVP Award voting and was named to the
All-NBA Second Team for the second-straight year. On May 1, Brunson scored 40 points and hit the game-winning three-pointer to seal the Knicks' series-clinching 116–113 Game 6 victory over the
Detroit Pistons in the first round of the NBA playoffs. On May 12, Brunson recorded 39 points, 5 rebounds, and 12 assists in a 121–113 Game 4 victory, helping the Knicks take a 3–1 series lead over the
Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. He became the highest scorer in fourth quarters through the first 10 games of a playoffs since 1997, eclipsing
Kobe Bryant and
Stephen Curry. On May 21, in Game 1 of the
Eastern Conference Finals, Brunson scored 43 points in a 138–135 overtime loss to the
Indiana Pacers. With the performance, he recorded his 8th 40-point playoff game as a Knick, passing
Bernard King for the most in franchise history, and tied
Patrick Ewing with his 18th 30-point playoff game as a Knick. On May 23, In Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals, Brunson posted 36 points and 11 assists in a 114–109 loss against the Pacers. He passed Ewing for the most 30-point playoff game in Knicks history. Also, only
Michael Jordan and
LeBron James have more 35-point, 10-assist playoff games in the Eastern Conference in NBA history. On May 29, In Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals, Brunson had 32 points, five rebounds, and five assists in the Knicks’ 111–94 victory over the Pacers. It was his 10th game this postseason with at least 30 points and five assists, making him one of only four players in NBA history to reach that mark in a single playoff run. The other three players to achieve this are Michael Jordan, LeBron James and
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. The Knicks would go on to lose to the Pacers in six games, falling 125–108 in the Game 6 closeout.
NBA Cup champion and NBA Cup MVP (2025–2026) On December 13, 2025, Brunson scored a then season-high 40 points and delivered 8 assists to lead the
New York Knicks to a 132–120 victory over the
Orlando Magic in the
NBA Cup semifinal, helping the team advance to the final. On December 16, Brunson scored 25 points and recorded eight assists to lead the Knicks to a 124–113 victory over the
San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Cup Final, earning NBA Cup MVP honors for his performance and being recognized as a member of the All-Tournament Team. On December 19, Brunson had 25 points, seven rebounds, and seven assists, making a game-winning three-pointer with 4.4 seconds remaining in a 114–113 win over the
Indiana Pacers. On December 21, Brunson scored a season-high 47 points along with eight assists in a 132–125 victory over the
Miami Heat; the 47 points also marked his career-high scoring performance at
Madison Square Garden. For his outstanding performance in December, during which Brunson averaged 30.6 points and 7.1 assists per game and led the Knicks to a 10–4 record, he was named the Eastern Conference
NBA Player of the Month, marking the third time in his career he received the honor. On January 19, 2026, Brunson earned his third consecutive
NBA All-Star selection and was named a starter for the second time in a row. On January 30, Brunson put up 26 points in a 127–97 win over the
Portland Trail Blazers and achieved 10,000 career points. On February 4, Brunson recorded 42 points, 8 rebounds, and 9 assists, leading the Knicks to a 134–127 overtime win over the
Denver Nuggets. On March 6, Brunson recorded his second straight 15-assist game in the Knicks’ 142–103 win over the Denver Nuggets, becoming the first Knick to do so since
Mark Jackson in 1989. ==Playing style==