Momentum builds for Jalen Brunson to be in NBA MVP conversation

As of Wednesday, Knicks guard Jalen Brunson was not even in the top 10 among players with the shortest odds to win the 2023-24 NBA MVP award, per BETMG. The list was topped by usual suspects such as Nikola Jokic, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Joel Embiid, Luka Doncic and Giannis Antetokounmpo, with even the likes of De'Aaron Fox and Tyrese Haliburton receiving longshot odds to win their first MVP.

Meanwhile, Brunson has quietly averaged 26.8 points, 6.5 assists and 3.8 rebounds while shooting an impressive 42 percent from the three-point arc (all career-highs) while leading the Knicks to the third seed in the East – just a game-and-a-half behind the Bucks for the second seed.

Brunson has been such a game-changer for New York that Charles Barkley recently pronounced that he's made the Knicks "relevant for the first time since Patrick Ewing."

Despite carrying the Knicks to prominence for the first time in decades, Brunson hasn't received his just due, and many believe it's about time he does. On Tuesday's "NBA First Take" on ESPN, Kendrick Perkins took strong exception to the fact that Brunson hasn't been mentioned as a possible NBA MVP.

"Jalen Brunson should be in the MVP conversation," Perkins declared. "He's playing like an MVP. What Jalen Brunson has been doing to the league has been a beautiful thing to see. You talk about a game manager and a game changer all in one – that's who Jalen Big Body Brunson is."