The undersized NBA Guard Every Player Needs to Study

Jalen Brunson: A 4-Level Scorer Who Thinks the Game

At 6-foot-2, Jalen Brunson doesn’t have the luxury of simply shooting over most of the defenders guarding him. He isn’t the fastest player in the NBA, doesn’t possess extraordinary leaping ability, and regularly finds himself matched up against players who are taller, longer, and more athletic.

Yet night after night, he manages to get exactly where he wants on the basketball court.

He gets into the paint, creates space where seemingly none exists, and makes incredibly difficult shots look routine. And while it’s tempting to attribute his success to his exceptional footwork or polished ball-handling, there’s something much more important happening beneath the surface.

Brunson understands how to manipulate defenders, control space, and create advantages that bigger, more athletic players struggle to take away.

It’s a fascinating example of what we teach at PGC: basketball isn’t simply a game of physical ability. It’s a game of thinking, recognizing, anticipating, and making intelligent decisions.

And for undersized guards, few players offer a better example of how to use basketball IQ to overcome physical disadvantages.

Why Does Steve Nash Consider Brunson a Four-Level Scorer?

Nash describes him as a four-level scorer because of his extraordinary ability to score in the area approximately 10 feet from the basket and closer, but outside the immediate finishing area around the rim.

It’s a part of the floor where bigger defenders can make life miserable for smaller guards. There’s often too little room to finish a conventional layup, too much defensive pressure to take a comfortable jump shot, and help defenders waiting to challenge anything near the basket.

Yet Brunson thrives there.

He uses floaters, push shots, flicks, leaning finishes, and unconventional shooting angles to get the ball over and around defenders. But Nash’s most interesting observation isn’t about the variety of shots Brunson can make.

It’s about how he creates the space to take them.

WATCH: How Jalen Brunson Creates His Fourth Scoring Level

Watch how Brunson uses hesitation, body positioning, and changes of pace to create an advantage, then prevents his defender from recovering.

What’s The Difference Between Beating Your Defender and Controlling Your Defender?

One of the biggest mistakes young guards make is believing that once they’ve beaten their defender, their job is to get to the basket as quickly as possible. They gain half a step, immediately accelerate toward the rim, and give a bigger, longer defender an opportunity to recover and contest their shot.

Brunson approaches these situations differently. As Nash explains, he frequently uses a hesitation, between-the-legs dribble, or ball screen to create a small advantage. But rather than immediately attacking the open space, he uses his body to prevent the defender from recovering.

Sometimes he drives across the defender’s path. Other times, he gets directly in front, slows down, and keeps the defender on his back.

Average guards are often trying to get past their defender. Great guards understand how to get past their defender and keep them there.

By controlling his defender’s position, Brunson creates something far more valuable than a momentary opening: the ability to dictate what happens next.

Why Getting a Defender on Your Back Creates So Many Opportunities

Once Brunson has his defender trailing behind him, he can operate in the space between that defender and the help defense. Now the help defender faces a difficult decision.

If they step up aggressively, Brunson can find an open teammate. If they hesitate, he can continue toward the rim. If they stay closer to the basket, he has room to use one of the floaters or push shots Nash describes.

The beauty of this situation is that Brunson doesn’t have to decide how he’s going to finish before he gets there.

He creates the advantage first, reads how the defense responds, and then chooses the appropriate solution.

That’s what makes his game so difficult to defend. His footwork and ball-handling aren’t simply moves he’s memorized. They’re tools he uses to put defenders in uncomfortable positions and force them to make difficult choices.

What Undersized Guards Can Learn From Studying Brunson

If you’re an undersized guard, becoming a better scorer doesn’t necessarily require a faster first step, a higher vertical jump, or a more complicated collection of dribble moves. Sometimes the biggest improvement comes from learning how to use the advantages you’re already capable of creating.

But understanding these concepts and executing them against a live defense are two very different things.

A player can spend hundreds of repetitions perfecting a hesitation dribble without ever learning when to use it. They can develop a beautiful floater without understanding how to create the space necessary to shoot it.

The goal isn’t simply to master the move. It’s to understand the defensive situation that makes the move effective.

The next time you’re working on your scoring, add a live defender instead of simply repeating the same finish against imaginary pressure. Practice coming off a screen and reading whether your defender trails, recovers, or cuts off your path. Then introduce a help defender who can step up or stay home, forcing you to decide whether to finish or pass.

Now you’re not just practicing a shot. You’re practicing the thinking that allows you to get that shot in a game.

FOR COACHES: Teach the Advantage, Not Just the Move

One of the most valuable things we can do for young guards is help them understand why a particular move works.

Too often, players are taught a hesitation, crossover, or finishing move as an isolated skill. They learn the footwork, repeat the pattern, and become increasingly proficient at executing it. But when a live defender reacts differently than expected, the player doesn’t know what to do next.

Consider designing drills around the advantage rather than the predetermined finish.

Have a guard come off a ball screen with a defender trailing. Teach them to recognize when they’ve gained a step, establish body position, and maintain control rather than immediately rushing toward the basket. Then introduce a help defender who can step up, retreat, or remain attached to a teammate.

The ball handler’s job is to read the situation and make the appropriate decision.

You can still emphasize footwork, ball control, pace, and finishing technique. But now those skills serve a larger purpose: helping the player recognize and exploit what the defense is giving them.

A successful repetition shouldn’t simply be one where the player scores. It should be one where the player recognizes the advantage and makes the right decision.

FOR PARENTS: Help Your Child Appreciate the Thinking Behind Great Plays

When young players watch NBA highlights, it’s natural for their attention to go straight to the finish. They see Brunson make an incredible floater over a taller defender and immediately want to learn how to make that same shot.

But the most important part of the play may have happened several seconds earlier.

The hesitation that shifted the defender’s weight. The change of pace that created a step of separation. The body positioning that prevented the defender from recovering. The patience to wait until the help defender committed.

Those are the details that made the spectacular finish possible.

The next time you’re watching basketball together, try asking your child:

“What did Brunson do to create that shot before he actually took it?”

It’s a simple question that can help young players become more curious about the decisions behind the highlights rather than focusing exclusively on the highlights themselves.

And that curiosity is one of the first steps toward developing a higher basketball IQ.

Jalen Brunson’s success should be encouraging to every undersized guard who has ever felt limited by their height, speed, or athleticism.

He reminds us that you don’t always have to be bigger or faster to create an advantage. Sometimes you need to understand positioning better. Sometimes you need more patience. Sometimes you need to recognize that the defender has already given you exactly what you need, provided you know how to use it.

And sometimes the difference between a difficult, contested shot and a great scoring opportunity isn’t another fancy dribble move.

It’s knowing what to do after you’ve already beaten your defender.

Keep THINKING the Game.

Mano