NBA playoffs 2024 - Jalen Brunson and the ruthless old-man game driving the New York Knicks' playoff run - ESPN

LARRY DAVID said it best.

The beloved actor and writer, best known for «Curb Your Enthusiasm,» made an appearance on «The Rich Eisen Show» last month, during which he talked about his beloved New York Knicks and their best player, point guard Jalen Brunson. «He's tremendous. He doesn't seem athletic in a way, but then he ...»

David, 76, then stood up from this seat, preparing to replicate the move. "… He slithers in! And then he kind of does that [fadeaway] thing! Where his back is going backwards!"

As David sat back down, Eisen couldn't contain his laughter after the septuagenarian did a full-on kick to imitate Brunson's form.

But here's the thing: David isn't wrong. There is something about Brunson's game, and what makes it so unusual, yet so accessible. If the undersized, slight-of-frame Stephen Curry has given the younger generation something to aspire to with his otherworldly shooting range, Brunson, 27, may be inspiring people of all ages to perfect their old-man game — one that depends far less on athleticism and more on impeccable footwork, strength and trickery.

«Man, it's so great to be on the other side of [his footwork] now,» Knicks guard Donte DiVincenzo said to ESPN of Brunson, who played his first four NBA seasons in Dallas and was a teammate of DiVincenzo's at Villanova. «We played one-on-one so many times over the years to where I feel like I know exactly what he's gonna do. Honestly, a lot of defenders feel that way. But he's so crafty that they can't tell when he's gonna shoot, when he's gonna pass, or when he's gonna use a step-through.

»He knows he's not the most athletic, so he outsmarts and out-footworks people to get where he wants to go."

That precision is not just highly unpredictable and