Can the Knicks’ Jalen Brunson become the best player for a championship?

Jalen Brunson is the face of the New York Knicks, there’s no doubt about it.

Brunson has become one of the best players in the league in his first two seasons with the Knicks, and his efforts have helped the team improve.

That’s why HoopsHype writers Frank Urbina and Raul Barrigon named Brunson the eighth best player in the NBA.

“New York Knicks star point guard Jalen Brunson had already shown himself to be a great player in 2022-23. In 2023-24, however, the two-time national champion at Villanova proved he is undeniably an elite player, finishing in the Top 5 in MVP voting, leading the Knicks to the second round of the playoffs and earning 2nd Team All-NBA honors,” HoopsHype wrote. “There may still be some debate about whether or not Brunson can be the best player on a championship team, but given his selflessness in taking less money now to sign an extension in New York that will help the Knicks continue to contend in the East for years to come, Brunson may well put those conversations to rest and prove it beyond a doubt in the coming seasons.”

The players ahead of Brunson on the list are Anthony Edwards (Minnesota Timberwolves), Jayson Tatum (Boston Celtics), Joel Embiid (Philadelphia 76ers), Giannis Antetokounmpo (Milwaukee Bucks), Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Oklahoma City Thunder), Luka Doncic (Dallas Mavericks) and Nikola Jokic (Denver Nuggets).

Every player before Brunson has led their team to a first-place finish, the Conference Finals or won an MVP. Those are three things the Knicks point guard has come close to, but hasn’t yet achieved.

This means Brunson will have to step it up a notch to be considered one of the elite players in the game. That said, team success plays a role in the individual accolades of all of these players, and Brunson’s affordable contract extension will allow the Knicks to spend more money on players around him to make the team better as a whole.

While Brunson hasn’t yet proven he can be an NBA champion’s best player, there’s plenty of reason to believe he can.