Jalen Brunson's hot start is is forcing the NBA to pay attention

Greatness, W.H. Auden wrote, has a habit of happening while everyone else is looking the other way. Sounds a lot like New York Knicks star Jalen Brunson.

Now, we know the origin story: second-round pick. The 33rd name called that night. A college winner deemed too small for a league worshipping wingspan and explosion. 

Now, that second-round player's an MVP candidate. Through 28 games, Brunson is averaging 29.5 points and 6.4 assists while shooting 48% from the field and 38% from three.

How Jalen Brunson's role has changed

Brunson’s MVP case begins with a simple contradiction. At barely over six feet with no elite speed or vertical pop, Brunson was drafted 33rd despite two national championships and a National Player of the Year award at Villanova. As the league has moved toward power and switchable size, Brunson moved toward precision.

What separates him isn't strength or speed. It's timing. Pump fakes. Deceleration. Footwork. The ability to force defenders into possession-defining decisions. 

The coaching change from Tom Thibodeau to Mike Brown has reshaped Brunson’s role without diminishing his authority. Under Thibodeau, Brunson carried a heavy late-clock burden. Late-game isolations were guaranteed. This season, Brunson is taking less dribbles and playing off-ball to teammates Tyler Kolek, Deuce McBride and Mikal Bridges. 

Brown’s adjustment has been surgical: more motion, more early-clock actions. Brunson’s time on the ball is down, but his involvement is up. He's passing more, moving more and shooting more catch-and-shoot threes than at any point in his career.

For the first time, Brunson leads the Knicks in three-point attempts. He's taking more than seven per game and converting at a strong clip. His corner threes are up. His turnovers are down. 

The Knicks no longer survive on his late-game miracles. But he can still perform when called for. 

Jalen Brunson is helping New York Knicks thrive

New York sits second in the Eastern Conference. The Knicks have improved their offensive rating, their net rating and their win pace. When Brunson scores 30, they are 18-6. That's part of the MVP argument.

The signature moments have stacked quickly. There was the 47-point, eight-assist masterpiece against the Miami Heat at Madison Square Garden, delivered without a single turnover, against a defense built to pressure guards. There was the NBA Cup run, where Brunson became the tournament’s MVP, beating the San Antonio Spurs and Victor Wembanyama in the final. A small act of revenge for a franchise still haunted by 1999, when the Spurs ended the Knicks’ last Finals run. 

There was the 40-point demolition of the Orlando Magic in the Cup semifinals, as well as the 35-point night against the Toronto Raptors that ended in a comfortable win before the fourth quarter ever mattered. 

The clutch assassin is still there. Recently against the Indiana Pacers, Brunson scored just once in the fourth quarter until the final seconds, when he buried a pull-up three to win the game.

Can he win MVP? The path is narrow. That's why Auden is apt. His point was simple: We miss things because we are trained to look elsewhere, the same way the NBA did with Brunson. It focused on length, upside and physical traits and overlooked the player who was the best at winning. 

But if the Knicks remain near the top of the East and this version of Brunson keeps killing it? Look out.