ATLANTA — What’s it like being Jalen Brunson? I’ll never really know. However, I tried to find out.

Brunson, fresh off a 34-point performance in a 128-125 Knicks victory over the Hawks, was sitting on a folding chair next to his locker in the visitor’s locker room of State Farm Arena. I handed the Knicks star an iPad stocked with five clips worth of Brunson plays from this season. These weren’t Brunson’s greatest hits. It wasn’t a folder full of game-winning shots or ankle-breakers, which might take up a few folders. These were plays that, in my mind, would be interesting to hear Brunson talk about, to hear about how he processes the game and what’s running through his mind in certain situations.

Brunson grabbed the iPad and kindly entertained me. For five minutes, Brunson sat there and watched each clip while I asked questions about what was on the screen, the MVP contender providing great insight along the way.

Here is what it was like to watch film with one of the game’s greatest offensive players.

(Editor’s note: Questions are edited for length and clarity.)

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Here, you get the switch with Wendell Carter Jr. and then have OG Anunoby cut through and clear out. What are you seeing? Just simple spacing?

We get the switch here so (Karl-Anthony Towns) is going to roll down and stay in this dunker spot. If I stay in the original slot (top), I have to go middle. If I get to that slot (the left wing), with KAT in the opposite dunker, I can go left or right and have room to operate.

So, to go back to the beginning of the clip when you originally get the switch, are you also seeing that, with how the spacing originally is, Desmond Bane has easy gap help on the left and Anthony Black has gap help on the right? Feels like the only option in that scenario would be a pull-up 3. 

I’m also trying to tell you without giving up too much of our strategic stuff. We want 3-1 spacing. We want three players on one side, one on the other, and then I’m on an angle. More times than not, that’s the spacing we want. That’s also the spacing we know we can read and react off each other best, as well.

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This is just a simple isolation. When you’re on an island with a guy, how many of the moves are just moves you’re comfortable with and second nature to get guys off balance or how much is watching a guys feet and positioning?

I kind of want to eat up as much space as possible. When he keeps backing up, I can kind of walk him down. Once he creates contact, I can see where he is trying to force me. Like I said, I’m trying to take up as much space as possible and not just settle. The beginning of this game, I think, I was 0 for 5. I wasn’t trying to settle. I just wanted to get to my spot where I know I’m very comfortable.