Getting to the free-throw line is everything in today’s NBA, and Jalen Brunson knows it. With flopping becoming a staple across the league, Bill Simmons believes no one sells contact better than the Knicks star. “I think [Brunson’s] become the preeminent flopper in the NBA,” Simmons said on The Bill Simmons Podcast. Brunson isn’t just drawing fouls on shot attempts—he’s finding ways to bait defenders in every situation.

And he wasn’t wrong. The Knicks rolled into the Crypto.com Arena on Thursday night to take on the Lakers. Since pulling off a blockbuster trade for Luka Doncic last month, Los Angeles has been a problem. The trio of LeBron James, Doncic, and Austin Reaves has been unstoppable, pouring in a combined 66.9 points per game. Defenses haven’t figured out how to slow them down, and at this rate, they might not.

But Brunson has figured them out. During the first quarter, Doncic had the ball but Brunson drew an offensive foul on him. The 5x All-Star was heated after an offensive foul call during the Lakers‘ matchup, and the broadcast team had plenty to say about it.

“Lakers with Doncic in toenail. Now, no, the runout is big as Brunson is going to take the foul here,” the announcer called as the play unfolded.

After the whistle, Doncic immediately turned to official Tyler Ford, furious with the decision. Meanwhile, Candace Parker, a broadcaster on TNT, acknowledged Brunson’s unsportsmanlike conduct to sell the contact. “Well, let’s give Brunson credit for getting to the spot, maybe a little bit of acting there. I don’t know if there was much there, but sold it to the ref. Doncic’s furious,” she said.

Another announcer chimed in, questioning the call. “Yeah, BA, I don’t know about that,” he said, before adding, “I feel like the bridge really, really sell it better.”

Parker responded with, “Listen, sometimes you gotta sell it.”

Brunson’s ability to draw charges has been a major asset for the Knicks, and this play was just another example. With Brunson ranking second in the league in total charges drawn, it’s clear he’s mastered the art of positioning—and selling the call.

Through 60 games in the 2024-25 season, Jalen Brunson has been a key force for the Knicks, averaging 26.1 points, 7.4 assists, and 3.0 rebounds per game. He’s been efficient from the field, shooting 49.0%, while knocking down 38.8% of his attempts from three-point range. At the free-throw line, he’s getting to the stripe 6.9 times per game and converting at an 82.2% clip.

His ability to control the game has been huge for the Knicks, but for Mavericks fans, it’s hard not to wonder what could have been.

Luka Doncic and Jalen Brunson could’ve been a lethal duo

In another timeline, Luka and Brunson might still be running the show in Dallas. Instead, the Slovenian is in Los Angeles, and Brunson has turned into a superstar under the bright lights of Madison Square Garden.

Their journey started together when the Mavericks drafted them in 2018. Doncic was a star from day one, while Brunson had to work his way up from a sixth-man role. By 2022, he had cracked the starting lineup and helped push Dallas to the Western Conference Finals. That was the peak of their partnership—because after that, everything changed.

The Knicks saw what Dallas didn’t and offered Brunson over $100 million. The Mavericks had their chance, reportedly offering around $55 million before the 2021-22 season, but no deal was reached. When the season ended, Brunson said Dallas went silent.

“I saw, like, New York making moves and saw all that stuff,” Brunson recalled last year. “I was close to home—two hours away from where I was, an hour away from where I was born. Parents over the East Coast, whole families on the East Coast. So I started thinking, like, ‘Could this be a real thing?’ And so, then, here we are.”

Fast forward, and the Knicks are thriving. Brunson finished fifth in MVP voting for the 2023-24 season, proving New York made the right call. Meanwhile, Mavericks fans are left wondering how different things might look if he was still in blue and white.