“He's always playing at his own pace” – Chris Paul explains why Jalen Brunson’s mastery of tempo makes him so difficult to guard - United States News Beep

When basketball fans talk about the NBA’s greatest guards, they almost always attribute speed and quickness as critical factors to the success of all-time greats like Allen Iverson and Isiah Thomas.

While speed is truly a game-changer in the NBA, since defenses can’t hope to keep a player from scoring if they can’t catch him, former NBA All-Star Chris Paul argues that there are other ways to dominate the game at the point guard position. New York Knicks superstar Jalen Brunson has given everyone the blueprint.

Yes, guards should be lightning-quick to reach specific spots on the floor. However, Brunson has chosen a different strategy, relying on his mastery of pace and incredible strength to reach his sweet spots and deal massive damage to the defense.

Nobody will get Brunson to hurry up

Four seasons into his Knicks career, Brunson has already risen up the ladder of the franchise’s all-time greats. After leading the blue and orange to the NBA Finals for the first time since 1999, giving the Big Apple a legitimate shot at breaking a 53-year title drought, Brunson’s name is now being mentioned alongside Knicks legends such as Earl Monroe, Clyde Frazier, Bernard King and Patrick Ewing.

While Brunson’s scoring chops and crunch-time heroics are reasons he has become such a beloved figure in New York’s sports scene, CP disclosed that what makes the former so difficult to check is his composure and absolute control of the game.

“You’re not going to speed him up, right? When you talk about the elite guards that have played this game for a long time, it’s about the pace of the game,” the Point God shared.

“I’ve told a lot of young guards for years that when you’re just really, really fast, you can guard that because then you can just back up, right?” he continued. “With Jalen, he’s always playing at his own pace. He’s going fast to slow, slow to fast, consistently. He’s strong. He can shoot it.”

Elite hoops IQ

Another aspect of Brunson’s game that CP has come to admire is his elite basketball IQ—something he has developed from his early days as a backup to Luka Doncic with the Dallas Mavericks to his current role as the Knicks’ offensive centerpiece.

“He’s smart. Jalen is great at basketball, but he’s smart too, which is still what’s needed in a point guard,” Chris remarked.

One notable improvement in Brunson’s game is how he has adapted it to complement All-Star big man Karl-Anthony Towns. Before, the 6’2″ left-handed guard tended to dribble the air out of the rock, often making his move late in the shot-clock and leaving his teammates to just stand around and watch him work.

These days, he hasn’t hesitated to dump the ball off to KAT in the post and trust him to read the defense and make the right decision. This has resulted in a more democratic approach, as evidenced by all five starters averaging in double figures in points during the Eastern Conference Finals.

With the Knicks only four wins away from hoisting the Larry O’Brien trophy, the Knicks and the NYC will look to Brunson to take them to the promised land. The path won’t be easy, especially with the San Antonio Spurs‘ tenacious defenders, but Brunson has shown, time and again, that there’s no challenge too large for him to overcome.

This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Jun 3, 2026, where it first appeared in the Off The Court section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

“He’s always playing at his own pace” – Chris Paul explains why Jalen Brunson’s mastery of tempo makes him so difficult to guard

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