NBA
Can Knicks PG Win MVP?
New York Knicks point guard Jalen Brunson has taken quite the career path after signing with the team two years ago.
Brunson went from being a role player off the bench with the Dallas Mavericks to a rising superstar with the Knicks in just two seasons, and now his extension has fans begging for a statue to be erected of him.
Brunson has only made it to the second round of the playoffs during his tenure in New York, but the Knicks’ trajectory is trending up because of the point guard’s fast rise towards superstardom.
Bleacher Report writer Mo Dakhil included Brunson as an honorable mention in his way-too-early MVP race.
“Fresh off giving the Knicks a substantial financial gift by signing a discounted extension this summer, Brunson has a legitimate chance to win the MVP after finishing fifth in last season’s voting. With how New York has loaded up with defensive wings this offseason, they look like threats to the Boston Celtics. He averaged 28.7 points and shot 40 percent from three with 6.7 assists. If the Knicks finish on top of the Eastern Conference with the same type of production from Brunson, he could win the MVP award,” Dakhil writes.
Brunson may not have even seen his peak yet despite coming up with some of the best numbers of his career last season. In the playoffs, Brunson took it to another level, providing a sneak peek of what could come in the 2024-25 campaign. Most MVP’s come from teams that are either first or second in their respective conference, and the Knicks were in that vicinity last season. Now, they need to make a considerable leap to be closer to the Celtics in order to be taken a little more seriously.
If Brunson can find another gear and the Knicks end up becoming the best team in the Eastern Conference, or the entire league for that matter, New York may have its first MVP since 1970 when Hall-of-Fame big man Willis Reed took home the trophy.