Jalen Brunson will cost the Mavericks this summer but he can make you money now
Jalen Brunson has been one of the NBA’s biggest breakout stars of the postseason, and his rise came just when the Dallas Mavericks needed it most.
The fourth-year guard out of Villanova was already established as an important piece in his team’s lineup, but with Luka Doncic out the first three games of their series against the Utah Jazz, he took his game up a notch. After averaging a career-best 16.3 points in the regular season, he’s averaging 29.8 through four playoff games. That includes 41 and 31 in Games 2 and 3, both wins for the Mavs.
These performances are going to earn him a huge payday as an unrestricted free agent this summer. NBA pro personnel scouts and executives polled for an ESPN story anticipate a floor of $20 million annually for Brunson, who played this season on a $1.8 million salary. But first he has at least two more playoff games to continue building his stock, and I think he will.
That means before he cashes in, bettors can. His scoring prop for Game 5 is 20.5 points on Tipico Sportsbook, and I’m looking for him to hit the over a fifth straight game.
If there’s an expectation that Doncic’s return will impact Brunson’s production, that didn’t pan out as dramatically in Game 4 as this line suggests it will in Game 5. Brunson’s shot attempts dropped from an average of about 24 through the first three games to 18 with Doncic in the lineup, but that number was still second on the team. He managed 23 points on those attempts in what was an off-shooting game – he made just seven field goals. Brunson hasn’t scored fewer points in any other game.
If he gets as many attempts in Game 5, there’s no reason to believe he won’t be more efficient after shooting 50% from the field and 37% from three during the regular season. He’s also averaging seven free throw attempts in the series. With those numbers, he would easily eclipse 20 points once again and maybe even add another 0 to his earning potential this summer.
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