Jalen Brunson #11 of the New York Knicks
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New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson is a favorite to land a major opportunity in just a few years, and here's why.
The New York Knicks are making changes as the team’s 2025-26 season approaches, and a lot of their moves have to do with star talent. Of course, one of their biggest moves of the offseason was striking a new deal with Mikal Bridges, who now has a contract extension with the team, which is a four-year, $150 million deal.
So, Bridges is back, and, of course, the heart of the franchise, the great Jalen Brunson, is back. Brunson has led this team to so many victories over the past few years, and now with new head coach Mike Brown at the helm, there’s a hope and expectation that this season will be even bigger.
But, the Brunson is even a bigger superstar than with just the NBA. Now, it’s being predicted that Brunson will land a major opportunity outside of the NBA in a few years.
New York Knicks Guard Jalen Brunson in 2028
Jalen Brunson #11 of the New York Knicks in action against the Indiana Pacers.
GettyJalen Brunson #11 of the New York Knicks in action against the Indiana Pacers.
Brunson was a favorite to make the 2024 Olympic team, but he didn’t quite make the cut. That’s okay, because he’s still young, and he has plenty of other chances to make it to the Olympics.
In a feature published on Thursday, August 7, Colin Ward-Henninger predicts who will make the 2028 Olympics team. He says that Brunson will definitely make it the next time around.
In the piece, Ward-Henninger says that Brunson “should easily slide into the vacancy left by Curry at the guard position.”
“Brunson has developed into one of the most prolific scoring guards in the world and, while he lacks size, his grittiness and intelligence should allow him to hold his own defensively on the international stage,” he adds. “He has yet to make an Olympic appearance, but Brunson won gold as a member of the U18 and U19 Team USA squads and was a key member of the 2023 World Cup team.”
New York Knicks’ Jalen Brunson is the No. 3 Guard in the NBA
So, how does Brunson stand up against other guards in the NBA? In a feature published on Monday, Aug. 4, Frank Urbina of Hoops Hope ranks all of the guards in the NBA and names the best.
“The point guard position is one of the most loaded in the NBA today, featuring various MVP vote-getters, as well as the outright MVP winner for 2024-25, who fared quite well in this exercise,” he notes in the feature.
He has Brunson at No. 3, only behind Luka Doncic of the Lakers and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of Oklahoma City, so it’s a great spot. This reporter would make the case that Brunson should be ahead of Doncic, but it’s still a respectable showing.
Brunson’s salary for the 2025-26 season is $34,944,001, making him 46th overall, and it’s really a steal for the Knicks. In the feature, Urbina calls him the “most important New York Knicks player in a decade” and says that Brunson continues “to play at an elite level last season, winning Clutch Player of the Year, finishing Top 10 in the MVP vote and earning 2nd Team All-NBA honors for the second year in a row.”