Despite being a legitimate NBA MVP candidate last season, New York Knicks star Jalen Brunson is not considered one of the top 10 players in the league by ESPN right now.
There is significant excitement surrounding the Knicks as they prepare for the 2024-25 NBA season. The franchise made a couple of blockbuster trades before the preseason, acquiring two-way talent Mikal Bridges and four-time All-Star big man Karl-Anthony Towns.
However, these players were the final touches on what was already an elite squad last season, largely thanks to the impressive performance of point guard Jalen Brunson. After being overlooked for All-Star recognition two seasons ago, Brunson earned his first trip to the midseason classic in 2023-24 and was named to the All-NBA Second Team.
Unfortunately, even though he led a Knicks team that overcame numerous injuries to secure the second seed in the East last year, this achievement did not impress the ESPN panel ranking the top players this season.
On Thursday, ESPN released its list of the 10 best NBA players entering the 2024-25 season, and Jalen Brunson was not included. Instead, he was ranked 12th in their comprehensive list of the 100 best players, which marks a notable improvement from his previous position of 32.
New York Knicks star Jalen Brunson ranked behind Victor Wembayama on new ESPN list
However, some of the names in front of him on their list were a bit surprising. After just one season, French phenom Victor Wembanyama came in at 11 after being the top star on one of the worst teams in the NBA last season. Also, league legends Lebron James and Stephen Curry were ranked much higher than Brunson.
Granted they have far better career resumes, but this is a list of the best players right now. The Lakers and Warriors both struggled to reach the play-in tournament last season and each played with some elite players last season. Furthermore, both Curry and James were third-team All-NBA players last season.
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