Jalen Brunson

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He's among the first generation of players named after Jalen Rose, the former Pacers star whose unprecedented first name will be one of his everlasting legacies. Now it's Jalen Brunson's time to make a name for himself — a name that will be remembered in the NBA.

Brunson, who quarterbacked Villanova to NCAA championships this past season and in 2016, worked out for the Pacers on Thursday. He was a solo act, travel logistics making it illogical for him to participate in the typical six-man setting. He was put through shooting drills and tested on defensive reads and offensive sets.

Brunson has excelled at the little things in all levels of basketball. He's a point guard who fulfills the clichés of "making his teammates better" and "finding ways to win." It's the big things — at least as some draft analysts see it — that are holding him down in the mock drafts. Despite being the consensus national player of the year his junior season at Villanova, despite hitting 41 percent of his 3-pointers, despite excelling at executing pick-and-rolls, and despite finishing well around the basket, he's regarded as a late first-round or early second-round draft pick.

He claims not to know or care anything about that projection, which is what you might expect from a player valued for his intelligence and maturity. He certainly said all the right things in his conversation with reporters at St. Vincent Center.

"That's just someone's opinion," he said of the mock drafts. "I honestly don't look at that at all. I just focus on what I can control, and that's how hard I play and my attitude."

Brunson gets downgraded by draft analysts because of his relative lack of size and quickness. He was listed at 6-foot-3 in college but since then has either shrunk an inch or found someone with a more accurate tape measure. The 6-2 cataloguing, in shoes, passes the eye test. He also lacks elite quickness and explosion, which would come into play more often on defense than offense. Given the NBA trend toward switching to defend pick-and-rolls, he would struggle in matchups against taller players. (But then so do most current NBA point guards.)

He therefore draws comparisons to the likes of Andre Miller or another former Pacers point guard, Mark Jackson, neither of which is the worst thing to say about a draft prospect. Although some believe he can be a starting point guard in the NBA, he projects at least as a valuable backup.

"I can adapt to any situation," he said. "I expect myself to be the best player I can be. I really believe I can be one of the best who's ever played. That's how hard I work. That's going to be my mindset no matter where I am or what I'm doing.

"I've been able to contribute to a lot of winning teams in my lifetime. It just comes from my mindset. I've not focused on me individually, it's what the team needs."

Thursday's workout was Brunson's seventh for an NBA team, with more scheduled in San Antonio and Boston and perhaps one other place. It likely will wind up being the only individual session for him. He performed before the watchful eyes of about a dozen front office executives, scouts, and other team personnel seated along the sideline, as well as the coaching staff.

Did he feel pressure from all that attention devoted solely to him?

"I just focus on inside those lines and what I can control," he said. "I've been able to play in front of 70,000, twice. It doesn't phase me at all. It's just basketball."

He's also played in Hinkle Fieldhouse in Big East games against Butler. Those didn't go so well for Villanova, which lost in Indianapolis each of the past two seasons. Brunson scored 31 in the most recent one, last Dec. 30.

He hasn't forgotten. A media member began a question about those games following Thursday's workout with "Jalen, your last couple of trips here to Indiana with Villanova...

"Haven't gone too well," Brunson said, cutting him off with a smile.

"That's actually the first thing I thought of when I got off the plane (in Indianapolis on Wednesday)," Brunson said. "I was like, I don't know if I really like it here too much. Hinkle is definitely a hard place to play. I'm glad I don't have to do that anymore."

Brunson, who grew up a Bulls fans in the Chicago area, was well aware of the Pacers' season that just passed. He knew of both their lack of national television exposure and excess of team chemistry from watching them in their playoff series with Cleveland.

"I love the culture they're starting to build," he said. "They showed out. It was pretty cool to watch. They had something special here."

Brunson's solid, mature, button-downed approach to basketball belies his namesake. The original Jalen, Rose, was far less structured and more flamboyant, representative of the Fab Five from the University of Michigan. Brunson's father, Rick, apparently was a big fan, though, and named his son after Rose. Jalen Brunson was born on Aug. 31, 1996, 2 1/2 months after Rose was traded to the Pacers from Denver, where he played his first two NBA seasons.

Rick Brunson was undrafted out of Temple and played in Australia and the CBA before sticking in the NBA. He was a teammate of Rose's with Chicago, where Jalen Rose was traded by the Pacers in February of 2002. That's where Jalen first met the original Jalen.

Players named Jalen, or some variation of that, are easy to find now. "A million of them," Brunson said. Jaylen Brown plays for the Celtics, and other the college ranks last season were populated by the likes of Jalen Avery, Jaylen Allen, Jaylen Walker, and Jaylen Key.

Jalen Brunson stood out above all of them. Now he's starting over, trying to take his game and name to another level.

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Note: The contents of this page have not been reviewed or endorsed by the Indiana Pacers. All opinions expressed by Mark Montieth are solely his own and do not reflect the opinions of the Indiana Pacers, their partners, or sponsors.

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Pacers Cast Eyes on Another Jalen

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Height: 6-2
Weight: 198
Position: PG
College: Villanova
Age: 21

PPG: 18.9
RPG: 3.1
APG: 4.6
BLK: 0.0
STL: 0.9

Player BioCourtesy of Villanova Athletics

2017-18 Overview: Enjoyed a banner campaign while helping lead the Wildcats to the 2018 NCAA National championship. A full list of honors is below:

Consensus National Player of the Year
(Associated Press, John R. Wooden Award, Naismith Trophy, The Sporting News, U.S. Basketball Writers Association Oscar Robertson Trophy)
NCAA East Region Most Outstanding Player
NCAA Final Four All-tournament Team
2nd Team CoSIDA Academic All-American
Bob Cousy Award
BIG EAST Player of the Year
BIG EAST Scholar-Athlete of the Year
Philadelphia Big Five Player of the Year
Philadelphia Big Five Scholar Athlete of the Year

2018 NCAA TOURNAMENT
His 18 points and six assists helped lead the Wildcats past Kansas 95-79 in the semifinal at the Alamodome ... Scored 15 points and grabbed six rebounds to help lift the Wildcats to a 71-59 win in the East Regional Final at TD Garden in Boston ... His 27 points helped lift VU past West Virginia 90-78 on March 23 ... Added 12 points, four assists and two steals to an 81-58 second round win over Alabama ... Connected on 7-of-9 from the field and finished with 16 points in an 87-61 win over Radford.

2018 BIG EAST TOURNAMENT
Tied a career high with 31 points to held lead VU to a 76-66 overtime victory over Providence in the title game ... Named to the All-Tournament team ... Delivered 17 points in an 87-68 semifinal win over Butler ... Connected on 8-of-13 from the field in a 94-70 win over Marquette on March 8.

2017-18 REGULAR SEASON
Dropped in 22 points to go with five assists on Feb. 24 at Creighton ... Helped lead VU past Butler 86-75 on Feb. 10 with 27 points ... Scored 14 of his 28 points in the final three minutes of a 79-75 loss to St. John’s on Feb. 7 ... His 21 points and six assists help lead Villanova past Seton Hall on Feb. 4 ... Matched a season-high with 31 points in an 85-82 win at Marquette ... After opening the game 1-of-7 field from the field, reeled off an 8-of-9 stretch at Connectucit to finish with 23 points in an 81-61 win over the Huskies on Jan. 20 ... Dropped in 18 points and seven asists to help lead VU past Georgetown 88-56 on Jan. 17 ... Added 17 points and five assists in an 89-65 win over Xavier on Jan. 10 .. Dropped in 27 points to help lead VU past Marquette 100-90 on Jan. 6 ... Also contributed eight assists ... Contributed 16 points and five assists to a 103-85 win at DePaul on Dec. 27 ... Established a new career high with 31 points to go with six rebounds and five assists in an 87-67 win at Temple on Dec. 13 ... Provided 17 points and seven assists in a 77-68 win over La Salle on Dec. 10 ... Named Most Valuable Player at the 2017 Battle 4 Atlantis after scoring 16 points to help lead the Wildcats to a 64-50 win over UNI in the title game ... Notched a season-high 25 points and moved past the 1,000 point plateau in a 85-76 win Thanksgiving Day win over Tennessee.

2016-17 Overview: Named as a unanimous first team All-BIG EAST selection and was one of five finalists for the Bob Cousy Award, honoring the nation's top point guard ... Also earned first team status from the Philadelphia Big Five and was also named Scholar Athlete of the Year by the City Series (3.54 grade point average as a Communication major) ... Averaged 14.7 points and 4.1 assists per game.

2016-17 NCAA Tournament Highlights: Added 14 points and five assists in an opening round win over Mount St. Mary's ... Contributed 11 points in a 65-62 loss to Wisconsin a second round contest at Buffalo, N.Y.

2016-17 BIG EAST Tournament: Scored 17 points in the Wildcats' 74-60 title game victory over Creighton ... Play a major role in VU's rally to defeat Seton Hall 55-53 in the semifinals, finishing with 13 points ... Contributed 14 points, five assists and zero turnovers in a 108-67 win over St. John's in a BIG EAST Tournament quarterfinal on March 9 .... Named to the BIG EAST Conference All-Tournament unit.

2016-17 BIG EAST Regular Season: Added 17 points to help VU down Georgetown 81-55 on March 4 at the Verizon Center ... Led the Wildcats with 24 points in a 74-66 loss to No. 22 Butler on Feb. 22 ... Recorded his first career double-double with 22 points and 10 assists in a 92-70 win at Seton Hall on Feb. 18 ... Scored 23 points in a return to Illinois to lead a 75-62 VU victory at DePaul on Feb. 13 ... Led the Wildcats past No. 24 Xavier on Feb. 11 with 17 points and seven assists ... Named as one of 10 finalists for the Bob Cousy Award on Jan. 30 ... Scored the game's final seven points as a part of a 21-point night in a 66-57 victory at Providence ... Added 15 points and four assists in a 61-59 win over Virginia on Jan. 29 ... Dropped in 19 points in a 74-72 loss at Marquette on Jan. 24 ... Produced 13 points and six assists in a 78-68 win over Providence on Jan. 21 ... Dished out six assists to go with 13 points in a 76-46 win over Seton Hall on Jan. 16 ... Added 16 points and five rebounds in a 93-81 victory over Marquette on Jan. 7 ... Led the Wildcats with 23 points on 9-of-16 shooting in a 66-58 loss at Butler on Jan. 4 ... Named BIG EAST Player of the Week on Jan. 2 after leading the Wildcats with a career-high 27 points past No. 10 Creighton 80-70 on Dec. 31 ... Contributed two huge free throws with 4.4 seconds left to help VU hold off DePaul 68-65 on Dec. 28.

2016-17 Non-Conference Highlights: Contributed 14 points and six assists to a 90-48 win over American on Dec. 21 ... Dished out six assists to go with 13 points in a 78-57 victory over Temple on Dec. 13 ... Established a new career high with 26 points in an 89-79 win over La Salle on Dec. 6 at the Palestra ... Added 11 points to go with six assists and only one turnover in an 88-57 victory over Saint Joseph's on Dec. 3 ... Contributed sevenpoints and three assists to a 63-47 victory over the College of Charleston on Nov. 23 ... Added 14 points and four assists to a 76-65 victory over Western Michigan on Nov. 17 ... Dropped in four critical free throws in the final minute to help VU outlast No. 15 Purdue on Nov. 14 ... Finished with 10 points and four assists ... His 17 points led the Wildcats in an 88-48 opening night victory over Lafayette.

2015-16 Overview: Started 39 of the Wildcats' 40 games, coming off the bench on Dec. 31 after dealing with a virus ... Was a unanimous choice to the BIG EAST All-Freshman squad and was also tabbed Philadelphia Big Five Rookie of the Year ... Finished second on the Wildcats with 100 assists (2.5 apg) and averaged 9.6 points per contest in his debut.

2015-16 NCAA Tournament Highlights: Drained a pair of clutch free throws to help seal a 64-59 win over Kansas in the Elite Eight in Louisville ... Contributed 12 points to an 86-56 opening round victory over UNC-Asheville and 10 points to an 87-68 win over Iowa in the second round at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y.

2015-16 BIG EAST Tournament Highlights: Chipped in with nine points to help the Wildcats down Georgetown 81-67 in a quarterfinal game on March 10.

2015-16 BIG EAST Regular Season Highlights: Scored 11 points in his return to Illinois in an 86-59 win at DePaul on Feb. 9 ... Poured in 16 points to go with four assists in a win over Creighton on Feb.. 3 ... Added 10 points and four assists against Providence on Jan. 24 ... Scored 14 points and added two assists to the cause in an 83-68 win over Marquette on Jan. 13 ... Named BIG EAST Rookie of the Week on Jan. 4 ... Scored all 15 points after halftime in a 85-71 win at Creighton on Jan. 2 ... A virus kept him out of the starting lineup against Xavier, though he contributed nine points in 17 minutes as a reserve.

2015-16 Non-Conference Highlights: Notched a season-high 25 points, converting 9-of-11 field goal attempts, in an 83-67 win at Temple on Feb. 17 that wrapped up the Philadelphia Big Five title for Villanova ...Scored a season high 22 points to go with five assists in a 77-57 win over Penn on Dec. 28 ... Named 2015 Male Athlete of the Year by USA Basketball on Dec. 21 ... Connected on three consecutive 3-pointers in the first half en route to a 13-point, five rebound effot in a 78-48 win over Delaware ... Chipped in with 13 points and four assists in a 76-47 victory over La Salle on Dec. 13 ... Named Most Valuable Player at the NIT Season Tipoff ... Also named to the BIG EAST and Philadelphia Big Five Honor Roll on Nov. 30 ... Led the Wildcats with 18 points in a 59-45 semifinal win over Stanford and then delivered 13 points in the championship game win over Georgia Tech on Nov. 27 ... Added nine points, five assists and zero turnover in an 86-51 win over ETSU on Nov. 20 at the Pavilion ... Scored nine points and added six assists in the 87-63 win over Nebraska on Nov. 17 ... Made his college debut a successful one on Nov. 13, scoring 12 points and handing out four assists in a 91-54 win over Fairleigh Dickinson at the Pavilion.

STEVENSON HIGH SCHOOL
A two-time Illinois Gatorade Player of the Year (2014 and 2015) and also was Illinois' Mr. Basketball as a senior in 2015 ... Selected as a McDonald's All-American and to the Jordan Brand national game following his senior year ... Also named first team All-Illinois by the Associated Press, the third time he was so honored ... Averaged 23.3 points, 5.3 assists, 4.7 rebounds and 2.6 steals per game as a senior ... Led Stevenson to the 2015 Illinois High School Association (IHSA) Class 4A state championship.

USA BASKETBALL
Named the Most Valuable Player of the 2015 U19 World Championship after helping lead Team USA to the gold medal ... Scored 30 points to help the Americans hold off Greece in the semifinals ... Averaged 14.0 points, 3.3 rebounds, 5.6 assists and 2.1 steals per game over the course of the tournament ... Played a pivotal role in a 79-71 USA overtime victory over Croatia in the gold medal contest, scoring all 14 of his points in the second half and overtime. He also added seven assists ... In the summer of 2014 represented the USA at the U18 FIBAS Americas event as well as at the 2015 Nike Hoop Summit in Portland, Ore.

PERSONAL
Parents are Eric and Sandra Brunson ... Has one sibling, Erica (14) ... Rick Brunson played college basketball in the Philadelphia Big Five at Temple and spent nine seasons playing in the National Basketball Association ... Rick Brunson was also a McDonald's All-American ... Born Aug. 31, 1996 in New Brunswick, N.J.

jalen-brunson-2018-draft-prospect

Jalen Brunson: 2018 Draft Prospect

The Pacers will hold their fifth pre-draft workout in preparation for the 2018 NBA Draft on Thursday, June 14 at the St. Vincent Center.

It will be an individual workout with former Villanova guard Jalen Brunson, a two-time national champion and the consensus national player of the year in the 2017-18 season.

The 2018 NBA Draft will take place on Thursday, June 21 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. The Pacers own two picks in this year's draft, one pick in both the first and second rounds, the 23rd and 50th overall selections.

Jalen Brunson

Pacers Cast Eyes on Another Jalen

Jalen Brunson: 2018 Draft Prospect

Pacers to Hold Fifth Pre-Draft Workout on Thursday, June 14