It’s not every day an NBA team owner admits he misjudged a player. But when it comes to Jalen Brunson, even Mark Cuban can’t help but shake his head in awe… and a little regret. The New York Knicks guard, now a star, was once, in Cuban’s own words, “just some chubby guy.” That transformation, from overlooked second-rounder to franchise cornerstone, has left the former majority owner of the Mavericks reflecting on what was missed.

“Personnel selection is hard. It’s more art than science,” Cuban said. “You don’t, you know, like I told Jason when I did it, Jalen Brunson, when I did his podcast, he was just some chubby guy, right? You know?” Cuban’s honesty cuts both ways, with admiration for Brunson’s growth and frustration that Dallas didn’t lock him down. The Knicks pounced when Dallas hesitated, and the rest is history.

Brunson has since elevated himself into one of the NBA’s most reliable guards, the kind of player who not only scores but dictates tempo and culture. Erik Torenburg, the host of the a16z podcast, admitted as much with a rare apology. “I’m sorry we took it from you. No, I was not happy about that. Yeah.” Drafted 33rd overall in 2018, Brunson wasn’t supposed to be a headliner. His Villanova pedigree promised toughness and a winning mentality, but his frame and style gave scouts pause. Cuban remembered why Dallas took the gamble.

“We picked him 33rd, 32, you know, chances to draft him, and they didn’t, and we like just his pedigree of winning at Villanova. But it’s his effort, right?” That effort has since defined Brunson’s career. In Dallas, his early go-to move wasn’t polished. “When he was with us, his go-to move was either a spin or a move to the left, and he’d fall away doing a layup. And he never got to foul because he was always falling away,” Cuban said. “Now his mid-range jumper is money. But he worked on that.”

And well, Brunson’s improvement is a textbook example of why draft scouting is so tricky. Cuban reflected on the unpredictability: “That’s what you don’t know when you draft somebody, right? What mental capacity do they have? You know, their athletic ability, right? But will they work hard to improve their skills? Will they work hard to improve their basketball IQ?”

For Brunson, the answers have all been yes. That diligence is why he’s become the New York Knicks‘ most trusted crunch-time scorer and why his name now floats in All-NBA conversations. Cuban’s reflection wasn’t just about Brunson, though. It turned into a broader commentary on scouting in the modern NBA.

How Brunson turned Cuban’s doubt into dominance in New York

“If the answer is yes, and they have the, you know, the athletic side of it, you’ve got a chance. But you don’t really know that too, because no one comes in and works out and says, okay, I’m an idiot. I suck. And shows you they suck,” Cuban said. He even recalled similar anxiety when trading for Luka Doncic.

“Even with Luka, we didn’t know he was going to be a superstar. We thought he was going to be really, really good. Yeah. And we thought he had superstar mentality. But I was terrified because I made a trade. I gave up a pick, you know, to Atlanta. And I remember we played in China the first game, the preseason. And I had Sean Marion that was an ambassador of the NBA, bro. I’m like, Trix, what do you think? Trix, what do you think? What do you think? Like, I’m terrified. I’m terrified. You know, but we know how that turned out.” That blend of fear and faith is exactly what Dallas lacked with Brunson.

The Knicks offered belief. Brunson delivered very well at that. Signed in 2022 on a four-year, $104 million deal that looked hefty at the time, the contract quickly turned into one of the best bargains in the NBA. In his first season in New York, Jalen Brunson averaged 24.0 points and 6.2 assists while shooting nearly 42% from three. By year two, he climbed to 28.7 points per game while maintaining elite efficiency with a 59.2% true shooting mark. For a “chubby guy” once doubted, the Big Apple became his stage, and the spotlight only made him sharper.

The postseason runs put the exclamation point on it. Brunson logged five 40-plus point games in the 2024 playoffs, including a 43-point explosion in Game 1 vs Indiana and a 40-point performance in Game 6 against the Pistons, where he sealed the series with a clutch three. His mid-range jumper, once seen as a weakness, became a reliable weapon under pressure, often drawing tough defensive looks. And he did it with durability, logging league-leading minutes as Tom Thibodeau leaned on him like an old-school ironman.

His rise has also reset expectations for guards drafted outside the lottery, which, well, is proof that pedigree, effort, and mentality can outlast early doubts. Cuban’s candor underscores a bigger point. In the NBA, potential is one thing, but sustained growth is rare. Brunson has carved that path, turning early skepticism into league-wide respect. He’s not just a product of Villanova or a beneficiary of New York’s big stage. He’s a case study in what happens when work ethic collides with opportunity, so to speak.

And while Mark Cuban might still wince at the thought of letting him go, even he can’t deny that Jalen Brunson, once “just some chubby guy,” is now one of the NBA’s defining guards.