Why Jalen Brunson Is Arguably the NBA's Most Valuable Player

Brunson's incomparable sprint to the finish was the cherry on top of an incredible season, which MVP voters should recognize.

The issue with debating who deserves the NBA's Most Valuable Player award is determining what constitutes "most valuable"? Every year, in every sport, we have some version of the same arguments. 

The Oxford English Dictionary defines valuable as "having desirable or esteemed characteristics or qualities… very useful and helpful."

Knicks fans define valuable as "Jalen Brunson."

The reality is, Jalen Brunson won't win the MVP this season. Nikola Jokic, the best and most impactful basketball player on the planet, will almost assuredly take home the hardware for the third time in four years. 

However, other than The Joker, has anyone in the league been definitively/conclusively more valuable to their team than Brunson has been to New York? 

Despite the Knicks' roster being decimated by injuries, Brunson carried his club to 50 wins and the second-best record in the Eastern Conference while authoring one of the most awe-inspiring seasons in recent history.

What NY's PG accomplished during the 2023-24 campaign was magical by any metric or measure. Yet, merely listing his per-game averages of 28.7 points, 6.7 assists, 3.6 rebounds, and 2.7 made treys doesn't correctly convey Brunson's brilliance. 

So, let's try to put those numbers (and more) in context…

Jalen Brunson finished the 2023-24 season with:

• More points than Nikola Jokic and Jayson Tatum

• More assists than Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Dame Lillard

• More made 3PT's than Anthony Edwards and James Harden 

• More made FT's than Jimmy Butler and Kevin Durant 

• More 40-point games than Joel Embiid and Donovan Mitchell

• More charges drawn than Draymond Green and Alex Caruso

• Higher 3PT% than Luka Doncic and Duncan Robinson 

• Higher +/- than Giannis Antetokounmpo and Steph Curry 

• Higher AST-to-TO ratio than De'Aaron Fox and Dame Lillard 

• Higher PER than Domantas Sabonis and Zion Williamson

• Higher VORP than LeBron James and Joel Embiid

• Fewer turnovers than Keyonte George and Kyle Kuzma

The above stats highlight how Brunson was not only effective offensively but also incredibly efficient. And, while he's certainly not the best defender due to his diminutive stature, he found ways to contribute on both ends of the floor.