Knicks Bulletin: “I guess Jacob needed to jump over the shot clock“

Saturday marked the second day of the 2024 All-Star Weekend festivities and it truly was a historic night for the NBA as the best shooter ever and the deadliest active gunslinger in the W went against each other in a one-off 3-point contest for the ages.

Two New York Knicks—Jalen Brunson and Jacob Toppin—had a chance at making history themselves but both fell short of what that demanded and crashed out of the 3-point and Slam Dunk contests before reaching the final.

Here is what Brunson and NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said before Saturday’s events took place inside Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.

Jalen Brunson

On knowing he could make it to the brightest stages because of his relentless work...

“I’ve always known if I had an opportunity, I’d be able to do my best at it. Not saying I knew I’d be here [at All-Star Weekend], but I knew I’d be able to do something one day.”

“Since I was a kid, I’ve always had the mindset of working to be the best player I can be at all facets of my game.”

On taking on a larger role in New York and leading the Knicks from the revered point guard position...

“Understanding the role I’m in is more important. You work on things and you put it in your back pocket to wait until you actually need to use it. But I think growing up and learning… what role I’m in to help the team win is most important.”

“To see the city, how it’s reacted and how they’ve embraced me, it’s unbelievable. I remember being around the league as a kid, and I always dreamed of having opportunities like this, and here I am.”

On his family and coaches helping him reach the superstar status he’s playing at this season...

“I think [being an underdog is] part of the mantra, [drafted in] the second round. You’ve kind of been overlooked at some point in any way, shape or form. Being able to do whatever you have to do to get to that next level… it’s a mindset thing. I was blessed to be raised by parents who put that mindset in me.”

On preparing and training for the All-Star Weekend’s 3-point contest...

“You just got to practice shooting off the rack. I think that’s the weirdest thing—you don’t have time to sit there and hold your follow-through and watch it go in, and then you gotta get back on defense. You’re just boom-boom.”

I think it’s cool. It’s a unique experience and it’s a different type of competition, but still competition at the end of the day.”

On the second half of the Knicks season and the team’s outlook with the new additions and players coming back from injury...

“I think it’s really important. Obviously, we want everyone back 100 percent [and] I think for us, especially with the new guys we have coming in, Alec [Burks] has been with Thibs before, but with Bojan, making sure that he knows exactly what we’re doing on both sides of the ball.”

“We just gotta be ready to go. We can’t lose sight of what’s at stake. We gotta have that same focus, that same mindset. And we’ll find a way. We’ll find a way to get better every single day. That’s just our goal.”

On his development since entering the Association as a second-round pick and now leading a marquee franchise...

“It’s never ending. You kind of have to go with the flow. You can never just predetermine what you’re going to do or how things are going to play out during the game.”

“For me, I’m always trying to be aggressive to make plays, whether it’s from myself or for my teammates. find the ways to have the defense collapse where you can see openings for others or yourself.”

“It’s a healthy balance, but I think the most important part about it is always being in attack mode, whether it’s to shoot to score, make sure the defense is on its heels, and just giving your teammates confidence. Everyone assumes that getting assists kind of helps with getting your teammates involved, but I think giving them confidence and making sure that they know that they’re able to do the stuff that they do on a nightly basis is important. So, I try and do it as much as I can.”

On New York Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau...

“Favorite Thibs story before I played for him? It’s not really a story, but when people who see Thibs from afar think he’s a guy who just yells all the time and is always just basketball, basketball, basketball—which he is, 100 percent—but he’s a great dude off the court. He’s a great person to hold a conversation with and really get to know and he’s just... he’s a genuine dude.”

On having Jay Wright coaching him at Villanova and what makes the Wildcats (including teammates Josh Hart and Donte DiVincenzo) special...

“I think Coach Wright preaches team first. So, team first and having the right attitude in whatever role you’re in. I think at Villanova, we’ve all been in different roles throughout our time there. I think the most important thing to us is winning, and what can we do to win, and how can we approach each game with the right attitude and right mindset? And that’s been Coach Wright’s thing for the longest time, and it’s helped us get to where we are, and so he definitely is a major part in our success.”

On participating in All-Star Saturday Night and getting named to the All-Star Game on Sunday...

“[I’ll absorb it] probably on Monday, after it’s all over. It’s definitely a cool feeling seeing people wearing your jerseys and calling your name. It’s something I won’t take for granted, for sure.”

On the Knicks being a title contender this season...

“Obviously, there’s chances. But we have to concentrate on Philly, our first game out of the break, and go from there. The best part about the journey is just taking it step by step.”

On Jacob Toppin’s elimination in the first round of the Slam Dunk Contest...

“I guess Jacob needed to jump over the shot clock to get higher than a 46.”

Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images

Adam Silver (NBA Commissioner)

On the 65-game rule imposed by the NBA starting this season and its controversial implications...

“I’m not ready to say it isn’t working so far. I can tell you that the number of games that players have participated in is up this season and interestingly enough, injuries are actually down. Whether that’s meaningful data yet, I don’t know. I think the right time to take a further look at this rule is at the end of the season when we sort of at least have a year under our belt.”

On the main reason behind enforcing the 65-game rule, which the NBAPA agreed to install...

“We needed to incentivize players, particularly star players, to play more games.”

On the sky-high levels of scoring taking place on NBA games nightly these days...

“I want to dispel any notion that the league feels—or the league office necessarily feels—that high-scoring games in the abstract are good.”

“What we want are competitive games. The skill level is off the charts. Every player at every position has to be able to shoot the ball. You’re seeing this global pool of talent coming into the league (with) some of the best athletes in the world who can frankly shoot the lights out. I think that’s partly what’s responsible for the increased scoring.”

On the battles between players and referees and some glaring miscalled plays here and there...

“I’m so sympathetic to players who feel that an official missed a call—and sometimes they do—and I’m incredibly sympathetic to officials who have some of the hardest jobs in sports and are under a microscope—and occasionally, of course, do miss calls—and we acknowledge when they do.“

“I think what makes me most frustrated are the communication issues sort of between players and officials. I feel that’s an area we should be able to do a better job, both ways. There just has to be a two-way sense of respect. I’m sympathetic to the frustration and feel it’s an area where we can make progress.”

On expanding the All-Star Game rosters from 24 total players (12 per conference) to 30 (15 per)...

“There’s no plan now to add roster spots. We’ve expanded the number of teams (across the NBA, leading to more active players in the league compared to decades past), we haven’t expanded the number of minutes and there’s still only one ball. Then the question is, how do you distribute those minutes among the All-Stars?”

“Also, when we sat down with the players and discussed this during bargaining, there is that sense of specialness in being an All-Star or being one of 24 as opposed to being one of a larger number.”