We were all moving a bit slowly. There were some friends of friends who had heard that we were bringing Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart and Donte DiVincenzo to this gym in Connecticut. A small group of people showed up asking for photos and autographs. The boys were fine with it. They smiled, listened, signed. There was no real sense of urgency, which was fine with us. Convenience is a big key to what we do. We love it when players feel free. Donte was the first to make the move to change into his uniform. He left the group of people to ask about the bathroom. Suddenly Jalen was at his side, grabbing Dont’s jersey from the chair it was hanging from. Jalen quickly took off his jersey and tossed his teammate’s jersey. He turned back to the group, laughing along with everyone else as they realized what was happening. Just then we understood what was happening.
These guys are friends.
Sounds obvious, right? Definitely. It’s easy to admit that it seems obvious. But SLAM is celebrating its 30th anniversary. We’ve been going around NBA players for a while now. We have seen that many of them are colleagues, not friends. Nothing wrong with that. These guys spend months together on the road. Their team responsibilities take them away from their families. So most players warm to each other, but in the same way that you leave your work environment, so do they.
We’re not here to burst bubbles. You still have to believe in Santa Claus. Hell, let’s hope the Loch Ness Monster and Bigfoot finally show up one day. But we’re sorry to inform you that most NBA players don’t hit each other outside of practice, even if they seem like it when they’re in public.
That’s why the hearty laughs of the trio, all three former Villanova Wildcats, came as a very welcome surprise. They seem to be friends off the court. There’s a ton of history between them that we’ll cover. But you just never know what’s for the internet and what’s real.
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Josh pulled up first. He was early. He and a representative from his agency were sitting in the corner of the gym, with windows showing the perfectly manicured lawns outside the gym. It was the first day of March and the sun was reminding us that it exists after a long winter. The manicured evergreens couldn’t block the natural light, so Josh was lit up with his perfect braids and fresh white Ralph’s tee.
He deserves the spotlight. He’s the one doing the dirty work for Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau. Diversions, switches, backcourt calls all fall on his list of duties. He also plays a lot of minutes. Like, a lot. As we go to press, he’s averaging 41 minutes over his last 22 contests. He even went all 48 against the Golden State Warriors on March 18th. Hart’s role increased when the Knicks suffered injuries to two of their best players; he was called upon to essentially be a 6-4 power forward. He needs to get bruisers down low, take turns, get back down to the paint and then grab rebounds. In those same 22 games, he averaged 11.3 boards a contest, well above his career average of 6.5. His rebounding numbers have been big lately. He had one game with 18 rebounds and two games with 19 between late February and mid-March. And to make both of those 19-board moments even more impressive, they were both part of triple-double performances. Triple-doubles are portraits of desire and technique; they require a serious reading of the game. Hart has five triple-doubles in his seven-year career. They all happened this season.
Hart is a serious competitor on the court, which Brunson says is the only time he takes himself seriously at all. The two were roommates at Villanova and knew each other very, very well. For example, Hart knows that Branson’s favorite childhood player was Steve Nash. Branson can counter that knowledge by adding that Mike and Ike are Hart’s favorite candy. Branson, who was named an All-Star this season, makes it clear that aside from his basketball business, Hart likes to joke around. There is no argument from Hart. In fact, Brunson and Hart only interacted in one way during the entire shoot.
Brunson and DiVincenzo arrived together at the gym in Connecticut. It was getting dark when they entered. There was no more individual focus on the plane. Instead, the three of them were the center of attention. Right from the jump, Brunson and Hart talk each other through veiled jokes and outright insults. Sly smiles followed everything they said. Every time Hart did or said something funny, Brunson looked around helplessly, praying someone else noticed the madness. DiVincenzo, the youngest of the trio, was always laughing no matter what.
DiVincenzo has had a bumpy road since entering the league in 2018. The Bucks took him 17th overall, but he didn’t get a ton of burn in his first season. Going from the highs of winning the 2018 NCAA Final Four to appearing in 27 games (a nagging heel injury could also be blamed) is a slump that will break the heart of many. That speed, however, gave us our first look at DiVincenzo’s flexibility. He returned the next season, played 66 games and averaged 9.2 ppg. The following season, he started every game he appeared in and again raised his scoring average. He would have been part of the Bucks’ NBA Finals winning team if not for an ankle injury that required surgery.
He does have a ring though.
The Bucks traded him to the Kings on February 22, where he played in just 25 games under then-coach Alvin Gentry. His next stop, the Warriors, reminded the NBA of how he plays when healthy. More flexibility. After battling back from injury, he showed he can run the 1 or play the 2. The Dubs had him hand the ball to their Hall of Fame shooting duo. They made him fill in the incision holes. He was one of the few guards in the NBA allowed to crash the glass (in this age of otherworldly athleticism and aerial acrobatics, most teams prefer to send guys back in transition protection). When given the opportunity, he showed the ability to create his own shot off the bounce.
He does it all now for the Knicks. This season, his three-ball is landing nearly 40 percent of the time, which is above the league average. He also has four 30+ point games this year. Before this season, he had never had a 30-point game in his NBA career. He is averaging 20.8 over his last 21 games. Big jump. A big, big jump.
As most basketball players know, being on the same team with friends usually increases production. There is a fundamental layer of trust that underlies everything when bonding with brothers. Some of the stress that comes from playing with strangers is replaced by the fun of running with the boys. Making crazy shots or throwing stupid passes is usually followed by some kind words from teammates. But sometimes those bad shots or wild passes lead to genius shots. Genius is more likely to happen to brothers than strangers, when people trust that pick, when you really know the guy who has something to say after those shots and passes. And defensively, that confidence comes in the form of big swings; bet in the passing zone covered by that guy who really enjoys Mike and Ike.
Playing with friends is fun. Winning alongside your friends is a special privilege from basketball heaven.
Together, these boys won on the biggest stage in college.
Hart was a junior when DiVincenzo and Brunson arrived at Nova. While DiVincenzo didn’t play much in 2015-16, Hart and Brunson were the Wildcats’ two leaders. Along with Chris Jenkins and Ryan Arcidiacono, they guided the Wildcats to the 2016 national championship. They won close games, fought back from big deficits and survived the gauntlet together. Together is the key here.
It is a fact that our bonds as humans are deepened by stressful environments and stressful situations. When you’re 18-21 and the whole nation is watching your every move, giving you all their opinions, putting their hopes on your shoulders, it’s a stressful environment and a heightened situation.
Then, when Hart played for the Lakers in 2018, Brunson and DiVincenzo beat the Nats again. More stressful environments and heightened situations.
So of course these guys are actually friends. Their bond began in college, where young minds are formed and formed without nationally televised basketball games. Add in televised games, thousands of screaming fans, the legacy of a Hall of Fame coach, and it would have created an even deeper bond together. Now fast forward a few years and add the layer of Madison Square Garden, generation-deep Knicks fans, and possibly the pressure of playing in May or June…it’s a lifelong bond.
The three of them hit the bathroom together to get into their uniforms for our shoot. When they return to the gym, Brunson is no longer wearing DiVincenzo’s jersey. But they’re all still laughing. And they keep laughing. Hart is the leader. Branson is the seemingly innocent but actually diabolical instigator. And DiVincenzo laughs uncontrollably at all that.
By the way, none of this happens without Branson. He’s an All-Star, he’s the best player on the Knicks. He is their floor general. He is their clutch scorer. He is the heartbeat of the Garden. All the numbers point to this being his best season yet. Those numbers actually become redundant because they all point to him being an elite player. One number, however, sums it up. Five.
He is fifth in the NBA in scoring as of now.
No one thought the 33rd overall pick in the 2018 Draft would one day lead the resurgence of the Knicks franchise, be an All-Star or be near the top of the league in scoring. But the game is easy when you play with friends.
Especially with friends who like to compete. All three of these guys are physical. They are in too much of a hurry. Hart hits the glass, DiVincenzo recovers from an injury, and Branson descends into treeland despite his height. They enjoy the big moments. They love a challenge. It’s obvious they love playing together because they do together.
Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau talked about them after a big win over the Golden State Warriors in March.
“Josh’s role has expanded,” Tibbs said in the postgame press conference. “Dont’s role expanded. And Jalen just keeps rolling. It’s a team, and that’s what we prioritize. We want guys to sacrifice and put the team first, but that belief has to be there. I think when your best players have that belief, your whole team ends up having that belief.”
Even when they make fun of each other and laugh at each other, they do it together. After about an hour in front of our cameras in that gym in Connecticut, they leave together.
Portraits by Marcus Stevens.
