Jalen Brunson has proven himself as one of the best offensive players in college basketball -Image via AP

Jalen Brunson doesn’t necessarily pass the eye test. He’s well-built but not long or quick. At first glance he probably looks like one of those “good in college, but not really NBA caliber” type of players. But taking a closer look, you see that he is one of the smartest, most mature players in college right now who is putting the ball in the basket at an insane rate.

Let’s start with the shooting numbers, and you may want to be seated before I tell you this because you’re probably going to think I’m making them up. Brunson’s True Shooting % is currently 71.7% (last year’s D1 leader Devontae Cacok out of UNC-Wilmington had a 76.7 TS% while scoring almost exclusively in the paint.) Brunson also has a 70.5 EFG, is hitting 51% of his 3 point attempts, and has an Assist-Turnover ratio of 3.69. These numbers may not be sustainable over a full season, but it’s clear that Brunson is making all the right plays so far.

So what is it about Brunson that makes him so efficient?

Does he have crazy athleticism? No.

Is he just a product of Villanova’s system? No.

Does he have superpowers? Maybe.

Brunson is always focused, and always making the smart play -Image via Getty Images

But really, what makes Jalen Brunson such a special college player is his fantastic feel for the game and intelligence. He doesn’t take wild shots, he doesn’t get rattled by defenders in his face, he makes smart passes and seemingly always puts them in the right spot, and he combines all of these elements of his game better than anyone in the college game today.

Projecting Brunson to the next level, I think he’s no doubt worth a first round selection, especially with this year’s draft class lacking a lot of depth at the point guard spot. With a lot of NBA teams struggling to fill their backup point guard spot, Brunson will be able to run a second unit very well, help create plays for others while not making mistakes and hitting a shot at the right time. His feel for the game is too advanced for him to fail, even if he isn’t going to make a lot of highlight plays.

The NBA and its fans often like to get caught up in the players with rare athletic traits. You see a lot of people fall for the guys who don’t know what they’re doing on the court but have all the physical tools, and NBA executives will often take their chances with those types of players, but there is something to be said for players with rare mental traits like Brunson. NBA teams (for the most part) want to win, and Brunson has done that at every level he’s ever played at. If they are smart, they will covet Brunson very highly and not overlook him just because he doesn’t have the physical traits of other players.

In other words, he’s probably going to be ignored by everyone except the Spurs who will take him 29th overall and he’ll be their backup point guard for a decade.