Knicks' Jalen Brunson Snubbed From NBA MVP Top 10 Discussion

The New York Knicks have two names swirling inside the NBA's most prestigious individual debate right now, but neither one is generating the kind of buzz that actually matters. As the 2025-26 regular season heads toward the home stretch, Karl-Anthony Towns has quietly muscled into the MVP conversation while Jalen Brunson's case continues to fade, and frankly, neither storyline should surprise anyone paying attention.

According to the latest Kia MVP Ladder released on March 13, 2026, both Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns appear in the "and five more" discussion section

The latest Kia MVP Ladder has both Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns in the “and five more” section. pic.twitter.com/pHZfUwnT4H
— Jayesh Pagar (@jay_onsi_knicks) March 13, 2026

This‍‌‍‍‌‍‌‍‍‌ is an important milestone for KAT, who has been scoring in double digits a lot recently. In fact, His average stats are 21.1 points and 13 rebounds per game in March.

Towns' skill of a mixture of defensive rebounding and offensive skills makes him a real serious contender. He is very rightly in the top 15, and there is a good chance that, with a few good performances, he can make it to the top 10.

The Injury Cloud Nobody Wants to Talk About

Mar 11, 2026; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; New York Knicks center/forward Karl-Anthony Towns (32) looks to pass over Utah Jazz center Kyle Filipowski (22) during the first half at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Peter Creveling-Imagn Images | Peter Creveling-Imagn Images

This‍‌‍‍‌‍‌‍‍‌ is where things become really tricky. During the Clippers game on March 9, KAT got his right knee injured and it looked bad. He was limping, grabbing his knee, and then going to the locker room at halftime. He remains a questionable tag waiting to happen, and that knee injury concern is the main reason why his MVP run is at risk now. Nobody can win MVP by going in and out of the locker room, and the Knicks surely don't want to lose their strongest player physically as they head into the ‍‌‍‍‌‍‌‍‍‌playoffs.

Brunson Isn't Chasing Trophies, He's Chasing Wins

We've‍‌‍‍‌‍‌‍‍‌ mentioned that Brunson's lower scoring would negatively impact his MVP chances, and indeed it has. He not only fell off the top 10 list on the week of March 13 but ended up at No. 10 a week before. However, this is the bold thing to say: Brunson was never intended to be an MVP candidate; he was intended to be a champion. And in his recent interviews, we have heard that everything he cares about is winning the game.

His March scoring average is down to 22.1 PPG, but his assists have increased massively to 10 per game, with two 15-assist games running up to games against OKC and Denver. If Brunson is not scoring 30, he is still dictating the play at every possession. This is not a fall-off; it's top-level two-way playmaking.

The MVP ladder by this stage of the campaign is just a distraction. The only ladder the Knicks are interested in is the one that reaches the finals, and at this moment, health and momentum building are the only stats that matter.

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