While the New York Knicks' 2-1 lead over the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Finals has them two wins away from winning a championship, DeMarcus Cousins doesn't think Jalen Brunson has been their MVP thus far. Coming off Game 3's 115-111 loss to the Spurs, Cousins believes Brunson hasn't even been New York's second-best player three games into their Finals best-of-7 series.
Cousins says Knicks All-Star Karl-Anthony Towns has been New York's best player, per FanDuel TV's Run It Back.
“The best player in this series for the Knicks, as of right now, is KAT,” Cousins said. “The 2nd-best is OG [Anunoby]. The 3rd, we can possibly go and say Brunson.”
"The best player in this series for the Knicks is KAT. The 2nd-best is OG [Anunoby]. The 3rd, we can possibly go and say is Brunson."
DeMarcus Cousins doesn't believe that Jalen Brunson should be Finals MVP 😳
(via @RunItBackFDTV) pic.twitter.com/Xb0r0g653h
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) June 10, 2026
DeMarcus Cousins pointed to Jalen Brunson's 37.0/31.8/88.2 shooting splits as the crux of his argument for Karl-Anthony Towns, whose shooting efficiency is better than 50 percent (51.4%) from the floor, and 33.3% from deep while posting 16.7 points, 11.0 rebounds, 1.3 blocks, and 1.3 steals per game against the Spurs.
Towns' primary defensive assignment has been Spurs All-Star Victor Wembanyama, whose offensive struggles helped the Knicks take a 2-0 lead. However, Brunson, who led the Knicks from a 14-point comeback in Game 1 with 30 points on 12-for-31 shooting. His highest point total (32 points) came in a losing effort in Game 3 at Madison Square Garden despite having his best shooting performance of the series, making 11-of-25 attempts, including 3-for-5 from deep.
Jalen Brunson opens up about his bond with Knicks' Karl-Anthony Towns
Much like most of the Spurs players, Knicks All-Stars Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns are competing in their first NBA Finals appearance. Brunson discussed his relationship with Towns as teammates.
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Leading the Knicks to their first Finals appearance in over two decades, Brunson reflected on his connection with Towns after the Knicks' Game 3 loss to the Spurs, per Knicks on MSG's X (formerly Twitter).
“He's been a great teammate. He's been a very great teammate. But most importantly, the person he is is fantastic. Like, he's a person who's willing to do whatever to kind of help out, whether he knows you well or not. That's just who his character is,” Brunson said. “That's just who he is, and that translates on the court.
“And, I didn't really know him as well as I did back then, but getting to know him now, it's an unfair narrative of him, but I truly love that dude and everything he's done for this team, this city, and as a friend, he's been fantastic.”
"I truly love that dude and everything he's done for this team, this city, and as a friend."
Jalen Brunson on his relationship with KAT 🥹 pic.twitter.com/Z5Bra9ihbq
— KNICKS ON MSG (@KnicksMSGN) June 9, 2026
The Knicks will host the Spurs in Game 4 on Wednesday.
While the New York Knicks' 2-1 lead over the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Finals has them two wins away from winning a championship, DeMarcus Cousins doesn't think Jalen Brunson has been their MVP thus far. Coming off Game 3's 115-111 loss to the Spurs, Cousins believes Brunson hasn't even been New York's second-best player three games into their Finals best-of-7 series.