Now an NBA champion, the comparisons for Jalen Brunson’s game have taken another level. In their most recent podcast on Cousins with Vince Carter & Tracy McGrady, it was McGrady who made a bold comparison to the likes of the late great Kobe Bryant. 

“You got to look at Kobe because for three quarters, it was feed Shaq, get Shaq involved, and then the fourth quarter, you know, it’s Kobe time,” said McGrady. “And you know it, the ball is going to Kobe and you got to do what you got to do.” 

While Brunson has not reached that level of stardom, it’s hard to dispute McGrady’s comparison. This Finals series alone it was heavily involved around Karl Anthony Towns getting the boards and scoring through the first three quarters, but once crunch time hit, Brunson would take over the game. 

Brunson’s approach to the game itself is also similar to Kobe's. From an all-around perspective, McGrady’s statement becomes easier to justify the more you look into it.

Kobe, throughout his career, repeatedly fired up shots at will, even when he wasn’t consistently hitting. Despite missing the second-most field goal attempts in NBA history, everyone knew that Kobe would take over the game when it mattered most. 

Even though his fourth-quarter shooting numbers in the Finals weren't the most appealing at 36.7% from the field and 23.6% from 3-point range, you never doubted his ability to get the job done. Add in the 715 fourth-quarter points he scored in a single season, and it puts into perspective just how clutch he truly was

In his first Finals appearance, Brunson had that same edge. Shooting at just a 42.1% clip from the floor throughout the series, Brunson never stopped shooting the ball. Averaging over 11 points in the fourth quarter alone in the Finals doesn’t even paint the entire picture.

Whether he wanted to take a spot-up shot or drive through traffic into the lane, Brunson found creative ways to score for the Knicks just like Kobe did for the Lakers. 

Looking at just their play styles alone, Brunson possesses a similar skillset to Kobe. He operates from a methodical and even technical midrange game, but can also stop on a dime and hit from any spot on the floor. 

Neither was the biggest on the court, especially Brunson, yet both fought through contact on drives, finding angles and finishing shots even with defenders draped all over them.

Perhaps the most comparable piece is Brunson’s mindset. After losing Game 3 of the Finals, he remained poised and emphasized the team’s need “to learn regardless,” much like Kobe’s “job not finished” quote after going up 2-0 in the 2009 NBA finals. 

McGrady opened up a broad discussion about Brunson’s status amongst the league’s legends, and it is an entirely fair conversation to have after all he’s already accomplished.