With Julius Randle gone and Karl-Anthony Towns as a happy second fiddle, Jalen Brunson leads the New York Knicks as their best point guard of the 21st century. In addition to the Knicks' successful 7-3 stretch over the last 10 games, one statistic reveals Brunson's dominance, which leads to wins in New York.
Although Brunson hasn't won an MVP in his NBA career, one specific stat ranks the Villanova alum with one winner of such an award and a likely favorite to win it this season.
As the best and possibly only legitimate playmaker on the Knicks, Brunson must generate most of his offense.
Per NBA.com's database, Brunson ranks fifth in unassisted field-goal percentage plus effective field-goal percentage.
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Given Brunson's 70.9 percent of his field goals going unassisted and recording a 57 effective field-goal percentage, the Knicks point guard belongs to an elite company behind Los Angeles Clippers James Harden, Milwaukee Bucks Damian Lillard, Philadelphia 76ers Tyrese Maxey, and Oklahoma City Thunder Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
However, Maxey's placement in the group is solely based on the All-Star guard's 74.6 percent of his field goals going unassisted. In comparison, he shoots an inefficient 47 percent effective field-goal percentage - not exactly elite numbers considering his usage rating.
Meanwhile, Brunson's dominant on-ball presence and elite shooting percentages have led to the Knicks boasting the best offensive rating in the NBA.
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Brunson hasn't heard much MVP buzz in the early stage of the 2024-25 season. Still, if the Knicks ascend in the Eastern Conference standings, with Brunson maintaining his dominant numbers, the Madison Square Garden crowd won't be the only one chanting M-V-P.
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This story was originally published December 10, 2024, 9:00 PM.