Jalen Brunson hosts a perfectly average SNL

Jalen Brunson took the stage to host the season premiere of NBC’s Saturday Night Live over the weekend, joining many athletes who have done the same. Michael Jordan, Charles Barkley, former New York Yankees captain Derek Jeter, Michael Phelps, the list goes on!

And the New York Knicks captain had plenty of support. The rest of the team’s starting five joined in for some jokes during the opening monologue. Comedian Ramy Youssef portrayed Zohran Mamdani in the cold open. KATSEYE turned in a catchy lip-synched performance.

But on the whole? The show itself was very average.

That isn’t to say it was a bad episode. Far from it. At the end of the day, looking back on general SNL history? Jalen Brunson and his turn in the host’s chair will go down more as a “Oh, yeah! He hosted too!” rather than an all-time John Goodman great or absolute Steven Seagal stinker.

It was just a…very generic show. An office sketch featuring Brunson and co-workers doing paper-toss with lunch trash, including a “KOBE!” shoutout. An airport setting featuring massage chairs and Mikey Day putting in overtime to make Brunson break. A weird parent-teacher conference with rising star Ashley Padilla and veteran Kenan Thompson more than making up for the stoic Knicks point guard.

The lone bad sketch? A weird support group involving men whose wives/girlfriends have gone to see Usher and Chis Brown on tour…with no actual punchline? Weekend Update killed, per usual.

So to grade this episode? We’ll put it in the B-/C+ range. People forget, Jalen Brunson is not a professional actor or comedian. He is the reigning NBA Finals MVP and captain of the NBA champion New York Knicks. He showed up to the job and kept the show above water. At no point did it seem like the cast was dragging him along.

How could it have been a better show? I don’t know, maybe have coach Mike Brown show up alongside Josh Hart, Mikal Bridges, KAT, and OG Anunoby? Father and Knicks assistant Rick Brunson making a cameo also would have been fun. But anyone expecting hilarity a la Michael Jordan on Bill Swerski’s Superfans or Charles Barkley hugging Muggsy Bogues alongside Stuart Smalley? That was never going to happen.

Did Season 52 kick off with more of a golf clap than it did with a big bang? Absolutely, but who cares? Dakota Johnson takes her turn next week with musical guest Turnstile. Fifty shades of alt-punk, right?

Jalen Brunson, meanwhile, can shift his attention to the upcoming season. The Knicks kick off their title defense at home against LeBron James and the Philadelphia 76ers on October 20.