New York Knicks head coach Mike Brown strongly believes Jalen Brunson deserves to be in the MVP conversation this year, given his consistent production. The two-time NBA All-Star is among the league’s top scorers, averaging 29.1 points on 49/38/85 shooting splits across 16 regular season games.
Yesterday, Brunson led the New York Knicks to a 118-109 win over the Milwaukee Bucks, scoring a game-high 37 points on 12-for-21 shooting from the field and 9-for-10 from the free throw line, outdueling Giannis Antetokounmpo.
“There’s not enough chatter,” Brown told John Flanigan of SNY. “It’s early, so I’m not throwing a fit, but the guy had 37 tonight on 12-of-21 (shooting), and he gets blitzed often, and he makes the right play — he did what he’s supposed to do, and that’s why we don’t talk about it because that’s what he’s capable of.”
“But hopefully you guys will start talking the right way about this young man in terms of him having some MVP talk because that’s what he is. We’re not playing the best basketball right now, but we’re trending in the right direction, and he’s the engine behind it, so to me, he did what he’s supposed to do, which equates to him being the MVP,” he added.
New York Knicks News: Josh Hart was the team’s unsung hero vs. the Milwaukee Bucks
While Jalen Brunson gets the majority of the plaudits for leading the New York Knicks in scoring, Josh Hart also deserves a shoutout for stepping up as the team’s primary defender against Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Besides trying to slow down Antetokounmpo, the 30-year-old swingman also posted 19 points, 15 rebounds, seven assists, and three steals on 5-for-12 shooting from the field and 9-for-10 from the charity stripe in 40 minutes.
“I knew I was going to get beat up there,” Hart quipped. “We talked about being more physical on the ball — that’s something I’ve been trying to do the past few games, and I’ve got to continue to do that and try to set the tone, at least while I’m starting and in those types of positions.”
