Knicks Guard in Top 10 for MVP Odds

New York Knicks point guard Jalen Brunson is coming off a successful second season with the franchise.

He followed up his regular season with a dominant, record-setting playoff run that established himself as one of the best players in the NBA.

DraftKings has listed Brunson with the seventh-best odds to claim next year’s league MVP trophy at +1800.

Brunson is tied with recent NBA champion Jayson Tatum of the Boston Celtics for the same odds. However, Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards (+1200), Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (+650), Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (+600), Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (+550), Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic (+370) and reigning MVP and Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (+350) all have better odds than Brunson.

Brunson, who turns 28 in August, averaged 28.5 points per game while dishing out 6.7 assists per contest in 77 appearances for the Knicks this season. His efforts helped the Knicks win 50 games for the first time since the 2012-13 season and clinch the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference.

Brunson ranked fifth in the MVP voting behind Antetokounmpo, Doncic, Gilgeous-Alexander and Jokic. All of the players above him are international, making Brunson the best U.S.-born player in the league this year.

Brunson’s efforts continued into the playoffs where he put the Knicks on his back, winning the team’s first round series against the seventh-seeded Philadelphia 76ers. However, he was unable to lead his team to victory in the second round against the sixth-seeded Indiana Pacers.

Despite being up 2-0, Brunson’s teammates started dropping like flies with injuries rampant in the locker room. In Game 7, Brunson also fell victim to the injury bug, fracturing his hand, which led to the Knicks’ elimination.

Brunson is expected to make a full recovery this offseason and will look to bring the Knicks even further in the playoffs next spring. He’s only entering his prime, so as long as he keeps going along the trajectory he’s on, the Knicks will only get better.

And who knows? Maybe Brunson will snatch an MVP trophy along the way?

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