Once Jalen Brunson touched down in New York, he quickly elevated himself as one of the best scorers in the league. So far in the 2025-26 NBA season, the two-time All-Star is averaging a career-high 29.1 points per game on 48.2% shooting from the field. Unfortunately, however, he’s been running around with an unwanted tag to his name.
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Although Brunson can score in a variety of ways, what makes him so deadly is his ability to get to the free-throw line. He may not be on the top of the list like Luka Doncic or Shai, but he stands quite high at 6.8 attempts per game.
It’s impossible to argue against the fact that defenders foul Brunson quite a bit during games. However, many fans and experts dislike the way Brunson draws these fouls. As a result, some have gone as far as to label him a foul baiter.
In Brunson’s recent appearance on the Underground Lounge, Lou Williams brought up his supposed foul-bating tactics. The 6-foot-2 guard was quick to dismiss those claims and set the record straight.
“I’m not a foul baiter. I just play by the rules,” Brunson proclaimed.
Williams and Spring Horton couldn’t contain their laughter as they expressed their disagreement. Williams’ main grievance was with Brunson’s supposed tendency to jump backwards into contact.
“I can get a sizzle reel going. You’ve jumped backwards before,” Williams said.
Unfortunately, Williams didn’t have a compilation of clips ready. If he did, perhaps the two could come to a concrete decision regarding who was right in this debate. Regardless of Williams’ comments, Brunson simply couldn’t find it in himself to step down from his belief.
“Jumping straight up versus jumping backwards are different,” Brunson said. “You can say what you want.”
The play, which Williams was accusing Brunson of being guilty of, has become an illegal move this season. Despite that change, Brunson still gets to the free-throw line at his typical rate. That development may be enough evidence to prove that Brunson isn’t a foul baiter as some paint him out to be but it will seemingly take a lot more to convince Williams.
