Should Jalen Brunson be Receiving MVP Considerations?
After 81 games, Jalen Brunson has all but finished his case for MVP. Heading into their final game tonight against the Bulls, the Knicks have the opportunity to get up to the second seed with a win and a loss from the Bucks. The last time the Knicks faced the Bulls on April 9th, Brunson scored 45 and had 8 assists, leading the Knicks to an 11 point win. In fact, in the past 6 games, Brunson has had at least 30 points while averaging 8.8 assists per game. Leading the Knicks to a top 4 seed in the East, Brunson certainly deserves some consideration for MVP. He has been a consistent factor on a depleted Knicks team while simultaneously being one of the best players in the NBA.
Photo by Vincent Carchietta
There are some obvious candidates for this year’s MVP award. Luka Doncic has averaged 34 points, 9 rebounds, and 10 assists per game this year and has the Mavs at 5th place in the West. Another candidate for MVP is Anthony Edwards from the Timberwolves. Currently sitting at 2nd place in the West, Edwards leads the Timberwolves in points per game at 26. He is also making a case for Defensive Player of the year, averaging, 1.3 steals and 5.4 rebounds per game. The front runner for the award is Shai. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has had a terrific season and has the Thunder sitting in first place in the West. Averaging 30 points, 6 assists, and 2 steals, he is the clear front runner for the MVP. However good these three players are, Brunson makes a compelling case for MVP.
Photo by Kevin Jairaj
Since Julius Randle’s injury, Brunson has rallied to keep the Knicks alive without a clear number two guy to help score and take pressure off him. Randle was averaging 24 points at the time of his injury and was playing some of the best basketball of his career. The injury of OG Anunoby also took away another offensive threat for the Knicks at the time. Since that time the Knicks have called on Brunson to step up and he has answered. Along with some stellar performances from Donte DiVincenzo, Josh Hart, and Deuce McBride, Brunson and the Knicks have gone 21-15 and stayed in the top half of the East while many expected them to fall into the play-in tournament. The main reason is because Jalen Brunson has averaged 31 points with multiple 40 point games and one which he put up 61 in a loss in overtime to the Spurs. He has been locked in as the only scorer for the Knicks during this stretch, allowing defenses to double team him without worrying about other players hurting them too badly. Yes, Donte DiVincenzo has had a record setting year shooting the ball for the Knicks, and Deuce has finally developed into what we all thought he could be. But they are not Kyrie Irving, who can relieve Luka on a night that the defense is locked in on them. Brunson also does not have the former number overall pick on his team this year. Obviously, all of these players deserve credit for the amazing season they are having. But Jalen Brunson has been able to take a depleted Knicks team and lead them into the top 4 seeds in the East, and he has done so with everyone doubting him and the Knicks.