Knicks Star Named Top 10 NBA Player

New York Knicks point guard Jalen Brunson established himself as one of the league's best this season.

Jeremy Brener | Jun 10, 2024

May 19, 2024; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) brings the ball up court against the Indiana Pacers during the third quarter of game seven of the second round of the 2024 NBA playoffs at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports / Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

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New York Knicks

While the New York Knicks aren't in the NBA Finals right now, the entire season wasn't a total loss.

The Knicks saw the evolution of Jalen Brunson as he emerged into Bleacher Report's top 10 player rankings.

"As the Knicks seemingly lost a player in every other game to injury, Brunson carried them through two series with timely shot-making and his ability to draw fouls and manipulate defenses as a ball-handler," Bleacher Report writes. "There may still be a ceiling on what most teams led by small guards can ultimately accomplish, but Brunson has spent much of the last two years challenging that perception."

The only players to rank ahead of Brunson were Anthony Edwards (Minnesota Timberwolves), Stephen Curry (Golden State Warriors), LeBron James (Los Angeles Lakers), Joel Embiid (Philadelphia 76ers), Jayson Tatum (Boston Celtics), Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Oklahoma City Thunder), Giannis Antetokounmpo (Milwaukee Bucks), Luka Doncic (Dallas Mavericks) and Nikola Jokic (Denver Nuggets).

Like the players above, Brunson proved capable of taking his team and putting them on his back. During the playoffs, Brunson averaged 32.4 points and 7.5 assists per game for the Knicks, leading them to a playoff series victory against the 76ers and falling in seven games to the Indiana Pacers.

Had Brunson and the Knicks remained healthy, there's an argument to be made that they could be in the Finals right now. However, it wasn't meant to be for them this season.

If the Knicks are going to make another deep playoff run next year, Brunson must continue to play like a top-10 talent. Considering he's only 27 years old, there's reason to believe we haven't even seen the best that there is to offer from Brunson. Maybe next year, he'll end up a little higher on this list.

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Published Jun 10, 2024

JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.