With Jalen Brunson in the midst of another fantastic season for the New York Knicks, popular NBA expert and podcast JJ Redick took some time recently to make the case for why the All-Star deserves a lot more respect on his name than he has been getting in 2023-24.
Heading into the NBA games today, the Knicks have locked up a birth in the playoffs for the second straight and are in striking distance of securing the third seed in a deep Eastern Conference. It is the first time since 2011-12 and 2012-13 that the organization has gone to back-to-back postseasons. And point guard Jalen Brunson deserves a lot of the credit.
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- Jalen Brunson contract: 4 years, $102 million (Player option in 2025-26)
Sure, head coach Tom Thibodeau is in the discussion for coach of the year honors and several players on the New York roster has been having some big seasons, but Brunson has been the elite-level rock that has been there all year to lead them to what will be their best record since they won 54 games over a decade ago.
When Mitchell Robinson, Julius Randle, or OG Anunoby were out for months with injuries, Brunson let the team fall no further than fifth in the conference. Yet, when it comes to the NBA MVP debate Brunson doesn’t seem to get the same consideration as Nikola Jokic or Luka Doncic. Well, JJ Redick believes that needs to stop and he should at least be in the discussion.
During a recent edition of his “The Old Man and the Three” podcast, the 15-year NBA veteran and ESPN analyst explained why Jalen Brunson should be seen as one of the best players in the league right now.
JJ Redick: ‘If you think Jalen Brunson is a top-30 player, you are vastly underestimating him’
“Jalen Brunson probably doesn’t make first-team All-NBA this year [but] he’s got a pretty strong case to be second-team All-NBA. And if you look at basketball reference and all their advanced stats, this is a top 10 to 12 player in the NBA this season,” Redick said. “I think there’s a legitimate buzz around him, maybe creeping in the top five of the MVP voting. He’s been that good this year. He was phenomenal last year, he’s been even better this year.
- Jalen Brunson stats (2023-24): 28.4 PPG, 3.6 RPG, 6.7 SPG, 0.9 SPG, 40% 3PT
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“He, along with [Thibodeau] and that group have figured out a counter for every coverage. And it’s been phenomenal to watch. I just want to state clearly, if you think Jalen Brunson is a top-30 player, you are vastly underestimating him,” he added. “He’s probably closer to that 10 to 15 and you could argue this season he’s a little bit higher.
The New York Knicks superstar is fourth in the league in scoring, 12th in assists, has scored 40 or more sevent times and posted 61 points in a game against the Spurs in last month.
