RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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Jalen Brunson sits atop the NBA in 2026, having just led the New York Knicks to an NBA championship. And Max Kellerman thinks there’s something which makes him better than Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
Jalen Brunson is the reigning Finals MVP, the main man on the Knicks, and virtually a king to fans in New York. He has proved that he deserves to be spoken about as one of the best in the league.
One season ago, that position belonged to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. However, what he has which Brunson doesn’t, is two back-to-back regular season MVPs as well.
A lot of NBA fans would agree that SGA is a better player than Brunson. However, Max Kellerman has taken the contrarian position, explaining what makes the Knicks superstar better in his eyes.
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Max Kellerman uses San Antonio Spurs series from 2025-26 NBA Playoffs to make his point
Brunson and SGA both faced the San Antonio Spurs in the playoffs last season. But while the Knicks were able to win in five games, the Thunder ended up losing in the Western Conference Finals.
Speaking about the difference between the two stars, Kellerman pointed out those two respective series as why he thinks Brunson is better.
“SGA and Jalen Brunson play the same position, modern NBA, pick and roll, foul baiting point guards. They both have the same team,” Kellerman said.
“San Antonio deployed, the same defensive scheme to stop that guy it worked on SGA. SGA is a great player of course. But they did it to Brunson and it worked the first two games.
“But because Brunson is better than SGA, meaning he’s more valuable than SGA. He was able to make adjustments. It’s because Jalen Brunson’s basketball brain was working overtime.”
This take isn’t likely to be very popular, Gilgeous-Alexander is a champion himself and has performed at a much higher level than Brunson in the regular season. Only the rest of their careers will be able to determine whether Kellerman is right or wrong about this.
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