When Jalen Brunson first signed with the Knicks in the summer of 2022, no one could’ve predicted the rapid ascension that would take place.
At the time, Brunson was coming off a season with the Dallas Mavericks in which he averaged 16.3 points and 4.8 assists per game. He would then enter free agency, and sign a four-year, $104 million deal with the Knicks, a contract that some at the time considered an overpay.
Turns out, Brunson was actually underpaid. Since his arrival in New York, Brunson has averaged 26.4 points and 6.7 assists per game in three seasons. He’s also been named an All-Star, and All-NBA in each of the last two seasons. He’s also been one of the league’s clutchest players, as well as a top playoff performer in the NBA.
Brunson ranked in the top 10 best players in the NBA
Brunson is now earning the respects of many pundits in the NBA media landscape, with ESPN ranking him as the 10th best player in the NBA heading into the 2025-26 season.
“In just three years, Brunson has moved himself onto the short list of the best players ever to wear the blue and orange,” ESPN’s Tim Bontemps said. “That also included leading the Knicks to the Eastern Conference finals for the first time in 25 years and to a third straight year with at least one playoff series victory, which hadn't happened since the glory days of the 1990s and early 2000s. The only acceptable outcome for Brunson and the Knicks this season, though, is to fully break through and reach the NBA Finals for the first time this century.”
Equipped with a top 10 player in the league, the Knicks enter this season as a favorite to come out of the Eastern Conference. After reaching the conference finals last season, the Knicks will look to take that next step, and break their 52-year title drought in 2026.