NCIS' Don Wallace on Jalen Brunson: 'He Shut Up All the Doubters'

Don Wallace knows something about beating the odds. The New York native built a career as a professional boxer trained by Hall of Fame coaches Bob Jackson and Al Gavin, along with Ring 8 Trainer of the Year Hector Roca — a pedigree that demanded excellence and silenced skeptics with results. Today, Wallace has channeled that same fighting spirit into a burgeoning acting career, earning roles on hit television series including NCIS: Los Angeles, The Family Business: New Orleans, All American, and The Rookie: Feds. So when Wallace speaks about an athlete who has spent years proving people wrong, he speaks with earned authority.

That athlete is New York Knicks star Jalen Brunson — and as the 2026 NBA Playoffs have unfolded into a historic run for the franchise, Wallace sat down with LandonBuford.com to share his thoughts on Brunson's remarkable journey from doubted to dominant.

A Fighter's Perspective on a Fighter's Game

Wallace didn't mince words when asked about Brunson's critics — and there have been many. From analysts who questioned his size to former champions who publicly doubted his ability to lead a championship contender, Brunson has been fighting perception since he arrived in New York.

"Honestly, he shut up all the doubters," Wallace told LandonBuford.com. "At 6'1", 6'2" — whatever it is — he is chopping guys down. He's manipulating shots against guys who are 6'8", 6'9", 7 feet — Wembanyama-sized guys. He's controlling the game."

For Wallace, who spent years in the boxing ring learning to overcome physical disadvantages through precision, technique, and sheer will, watching Brunson operate against bigger defenders resonates on a visceral level. The parallels between a smaller boxer outmaneuvering a larger opponent and a 6'1" point guard dissecting seven-footers are not lost on him.

From Isolation to Orchestration

Wallace also noted something that even casual observers have picked up on — a meaningful evolution in Brunson's game from early in the season to now. The transformation, in Wallace's view, is what separates a great scorer from a true leader.

"Early in the season, he was a little greedy. He wasn't sharing the ball as much and was playing a lot of iso ball," Wallace explained. "But now? He's really moving the ball around, making it open for KAT, making it open for Mikal Bridges. And Hart — Josh Hart is catching every rebound there is, going to work."

Wallace sees this shift as the hallmark of a player who has grown into his role as a franchise cornerstone.

"Brunson is sharing the ball and giving everybody a responsibility on this team, and I think that's amazing," he said. "A guy like that has to be in the top one or two in the league. He is an amazing player, and he has shut everyone up — with no hype."

Draymond's Apology and the Proof in the Numbers

Perhaps no moment in the 2026 playoffs better crystallized Brunson's vindication than when four-time NBA champion Draymond Green publicly apologized to him on live television. Following the Knicks' 107-106 Game 4 victory, which gave New York a commanding 3-1 series lead — Green pulled Brunson aside on Inside the NBA and delivered a remarkable mea culpa.

Green had previously aligned himself with Las Vegas Aces coach Becky Hammon, who declared in 2023 that "if your best player is small, you're not winning." As recently as May 31, Green had doubled down on his skepticism, suggesting the Knicks were missing a "bonafide 1A" player in the mold of Kevin Durant or Stephen Curry. He even dismissed the team's Eastern Conference dominance, saying that winning the East was simply expected.

Brunson's performance in the Finals made those words look premature. Averaging just under 30 points per game, including a staggering 36-point effort in a game where the Knicks overcame a 29-point deficit, Brunson turned skepticism into silence.

Wallace appreciated Green's willingness to admit he was wrong.

"I respect Draymond for that, because he understood he was wrong, and he was man enough to say, 'Look, you got it. You proved me wrong,'" Wallace said. "And Brunson did — he proved most of those guys wrong. They said he was unathletic, too short, not fast enough. All the things they said he couldn't be, he is. He's fast enough. He's very athletic."

The Hype That Never Came — and Never Mattered

One of the more striking aspects of Brunson's ascent is how quietly it has happened. Unlike many of the NBA's elite stars, Brunson entered the league without fanfare or franchise-player expectations. He was a second-round pick, a backup, a complementary piece, until he wasn't.

Wallace sees that trajectory as part of what makes Brunson's story so compelling.

"Maybe he didn't get the hype coming in, but handling elite competition? That's light work for him," he said. "When you're averaging 30 points a game in the Finals, you're doing something very right."

That quiet, relentless competitiveness is something Wallace understands innately. Trained by some of boxing's most respected minds: Bob Jackson and Al Gavin in the Hall of Fame, and Hector Roca recognized annually by Ring 8 as Trainer of the Year, Wallace learned that preparation and execution matter far more than headlines. His acting career follows a similar script: built on craft, resilience, and a willingness to do the work regardless of who's watching.

New York's Moment

For a native New Yorker like Don Wallace, watching the Knicks surge through the playoffs on the back of a player who was never supposed to be this good carries a special weight. The city has waited decades for a team capable of making a real championship run, and now — fueled by Brunson's leadership, the rebounding tenacity of Josh Hart, the playmaking of Karl-Anthony Towns, and the two-way excellence of Mikal Bridges — that moment may have finally arrived.

The Knicks entered the Finals riding a 13-game playoff win streak, a mark of sustained excellence that spoke to the depth and cohesion of the roster Brunson has helped build around himself. Critics may have called the Eastern Conference weak, but no team wins 13 straight playoff games on luck alone.

And with more doubters surely lining up — there always are — Don Wallace has a feeling Jalen Brunsonis just getting started.