Jalen Brunson says he saw himself as JJ Barea off the bench in Dallas and never asked for more, until New York handed him a franchise. "My mindset was, I'm filling JJ Barea's role. He came off the bench for Dallas. He did all these great things for Dallas. That's where I see myself. I'm gonna work to be better, but that's where I see myself. That's where I feel like I can help this team." "The more you show in your role, the longer your leash gets, the more you're able to do. People just want to say, 'Hey, I can do this, I can do that.' Well, do what's asked of you first. Perfect it. Master it." "And all of a sudden you'll be surprised of what they'll allow you to do. And you'll be surprised by yourself, like, 'oh damn, I can do this.'" "So it's all about starring in a role."