Knicks' Jalen Brunson Named Among 2025's Top Players

Jalen Brunson has carved out a clear Hall of Fame track in closing in on his age-30 season. Despite a relatively slow start to his career, the second-round pick-turned-New York Knicks star has solidified himself as one of the 10 best players currently playing basketball, now set to enter 2026 as one of the prior year's most decorated performers.

He was considered as such by writers around the NBA, earning a nod alongside the most promising and accomplished names in the game as one of 2025's biggest all-around winners.

"Hope returned to Gotham last spring, all because of Brunson, who had the city triggered in a good way," Shaun Powell of NBA.com wrote. "It has been a long time since a Knicks player was celebrated as New York’s best professional athlete, but here we are."

New York Knicks Guard Jalen Brunson — Dec 16, 2025; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) holds the MVP trophy after winning the Emirates NBA Cup Final at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

"The Knicks reached the East Finals because of Brunson. Earlier this month, they won the Emirates NBA Cup with Brunson delivering his best games of the early season. In a league of solid point guards, only Shai delivered better results in 2025 than Brunson."

Lining Up with the Best of the Best

Another year of Brunson's MVP candidacy has the lead scorer rubbing up right against the regular award winners in Nikola Jokic and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who've combined to win four of the last five regular season MVP statues as well as two of the three previous NBA titles.

Brunson doesn't have the hardware of his peers, but he's solidified himself as a perennial candidate for both individual and team-wide awards behind some of the most reliably-clutch shooting around. His Knicks are one of the best teams out east, positioned quite well to challenge one of those proven winners.

Most of the names on the top half of the list of 2025's victors, outside of young up-and-comer Anthony Edwards, are right around 30 years old like Brunson, with conference peers in Giannis Antetokounmpo and Donovan Mitchell closely bringing up the rear behind the Knicks star.

Milwaukee Bucks Forward Giannis Antetokounmpo and New York Knicks Guard Jalen Brunson — Nov 28, 2025; New York, New York, USA; Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) dribbles as New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) defends during the first half at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Brunson's overlap between the second half of the previous season and the first third of New York's ongoing campaign asserted himself alongside NBA royalty, but he's still got room to grow in out-placing his finish on next year's roundup.

A title will go a long way not just in establishing him as one of the best small guards to play the game, but also in reviving the dust-filled dominance of Knicks basketball. Everything's set for him to add to his legacy and continue challenging the most challenging set of contemporaries he could have asked for.

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