Villanova in the Pros: Jalen Brunson Named Player of the Week

Former Villanova Men’s Basketball standout and current Knicks All-Star Jalen Brunson earned the Eastern Conference’s NBA Player of the Week honors for Week 19, running from Feb. 24 to March 2.

Brunson averaged 29.3 points, 5.0 rebounds and 6.3 assists across three wins for the Knicks, including a shot to send the game to overtime on March 2 against Miami and a go-ahead shot that gave New York the lead for good during the extra period, capping a 19 point second half comeback.

He also helped the Knicks weather a furious comeback attempt from the 76ers on Feb. 26, dropping 14 points in the fourth quarter alone, and assisted on OG Anunoby’s game-winning shot against Memphis in a thrilling 114-113 result.

This marks the second time this season Brunson was named player of the week, and his seventh across three seasons with New York.

Now averaging 26.1 points and 7.4 assists on the season, the eighth-best marks in the league in both categories, Brunson is a big reason why the Knicks hold a 40-21 record, the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference.

Elsewhere in the NBA, former Villanova star Collin Gillespie dropped ten points in the fourth quarter of the Phoenix Suns’ March 4 win over the Clippers, a critical battle as they try to hang in the playoff field. Bouncing between the NBA and the G-League this season, Gillespie’s clutch performance could help him hold on to a big league roster spot. Cam Whitmore, meanwhile, scored 27 in Houston’s March 3 loss to Oklahoma City, one of his best performances in an up and down season that has him vying for playing time.