Nov 28, 2025; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) reacts during the second half against the Milwaukee Bucks at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Knicks' Jalen Brunson Slated to Surpass Previous MVP Finish

Originally posted on New York Knicks on SI
By Henry Brown | Last updated Dec 1, 2025 7:00 AM ET

Jalen Brunson is stamped as a perennial fixture of the NBA. The star scorer remains one of the most inspiring development stories in the NBA, a former second-round pick who slowly ascended into one of the better rotational point guards in the game before taking the New York Knicks' reins, leading the historic franchise back into contending relevancy.

He's also been largely considered one of the easiest bets to earn mentions in yearly MVP conversations, even if he hasn't received the love from the voters as preseason writers continually expect. A season after finishing at the fifth-highest in the standings, he ended the Knicks' successful 2024-25 regular season, winning just a single vote despite another year of rock-solid statistics.

This fall, though, he's put himself in position to bounce right back into the hearts of league-wide voters. The Knicks are surging, having won 11 of their last 14 games behind the multi-level shooter, as he's posting a career-high 29.1 points thanks to a 3-ball that's shaken off a slow start to ascend to a 38% hit rate.

"No matter your personal criteria in determining the award’s winner, Brunson fits the bill," SNY's Ian Begley wrote. "If you’re looking for the best player on the best team, the Knicks are 12-6 and slowly rising in the East, and there’s no dispute who their captain has been."

New York Knicks Guard Jalen Brunson Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Brunson's MVP Case Has Room to Grow

The conference is, as Begley implied, wide-open and waiting for a qualified and deep team to take the field by storm. Karl-Anthony Towns has slowly figured out how to replace some of the automatic scoring that they missed upon losing OG Anunoby to injury.

And Brunson isn't just shooting to shoot, either. After new coach Mike Brown promised to take some of Brunson's taxing on-ball responsibilities off his plate, he's had to watch as the most qualified bucket-generator on the squad fills in for some of the missing rotational options he was blessed with over the summer. The team is outscoring opponents by 8.37 points per 100 possessions with the point guard on the floor, and they're losing just under a point on defense when he sits.

It's not as if he's entering this season without any clout from the NBA's writers, having won the Clutch Player of the Year Award to quiet claims that he was getting snubbed.

There remain a few recent winners to outduel in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Nikola Jokic, but expect Brunson's momentum to continue swelling as his Knicks continue looking more like the team to beat out east, even while injured.

This article first appeared on New York Knicks on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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