Cavaliers might have the best Jalen Brunson defender in the NBA, and there's a stat to prove it
Cavaliers might have the best Jalen Brunson defender in the NBA, and there's a stat to prove it originally appeared on The Sporting News . Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here . New York Knicks star guard Jalen Brunson could be in a heap of trouble heading into the Eastern Conference Finals against the Cleveland Cavaliers .
This latest Brunson stat shows that he struggled mightily against Cavaliers guard Dean Wade. Jackson Flickinger of the SB Nation Cavaliers blog shared via X. "Dean Wade has guarded Jalen Brunson in all three regular season games between the Cavs and Knicks," Flickinger wrote.
"According to the NBA’s tracking data, Brunson has a combined 6 points on 1-15 shooting with two assists when Wade is his primary defender. " Dean Wade has guarded Jalen Brunson in all three regular season games between the Cavs and Knicks. According to the NBA’s tracking data, Brunson has a combined 6 points on 1-15 shooting with two assists when Wade is his primary defender.
— Jackson Flickinger (@JacksFlickinger) May 18, 2026 The numbers are not in Brunson's favor. In three games this season, Wade has put the All-Star guard in a straitjacket. Brunson has a shooting percentage of 6.
7 percent and has gone 0-for-6 in three-point attempts. While the stat is troublesome on the surface, the expectation is for Brunson to debunk that stat. A seven-game series is a whole different ball game, and with the Knicks being the favorites in this matchup, we can expect Brunson to be more of himself.