Ausar Thompson is confident in his own defensive abilities, but he may have given the Knicks some more bulletin board material.
Asked by Pistons beat writer Hunter Patterson about the challenges in guarding Jalen Brunson, Thompson said, “None.”
Brunson is coming off a 34-point, 8-assist performance in Saturday’s 123-112 Knicks’ win in Game 1. He scored 23 points in the second half, and 12 in the fourth quarter after appearing to re-injure his ankle in the third period.
“He’s a great player,” Thompson, the No. 5 pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, told James L. Edwards III of The Athletic. “I’ve guarded so many people in my life … he’s just the elite of the elite.”
Brunson on Sunday was named a finalist for the NBA’s Clutch Player of the Year Award, along with Anthony Edwards and Nikola Jokic.
After his performance in Game 1, teammate Karl-Anthony Towns told MSG’s Alan Hahn of Brunson:
“Did you expect anything less from the most clutch player in the NBA? This is what he does, so Cap is Cap.”
Game 2 is set for Monday night at MSG and Thompson will have yet another chance to try to check Brunson.
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Adam Zagoria is a freelance reporter and Basketball Insider for NJ Advance Media. You may follow him on Twitter @AdamZagoria and check out his Website at ZAGSBLOG.com.
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