Brunson led New York to a championship, but ESPN ranked him sixth entering the season. Does one spot capture the gap?
Jalen Brunson enters the season as an NBA champion and Finals MVP. ESPN still placed five players ahead of him in its ranking of the league’s top players.
Brunson is No. 6 on ESPN’s 2026 list, up from No. 10 a year ago. Nikola Jokić, Victor Wembanyama, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Luka Dončić and Giannis Antetokounmpo occupy the top five. The ranking asks panelists to predict contributions during the upcoming regular season, which makes it a different question from who delivered most when the championship was at stake.
On that second question, Brunson has a compelling case. He led the Knicks to their first title in more than 50 years and earned both conference finals MVP and Finals MVP honors. ESPN noted that he averaged 11.2 points in the fourth quarter during the Finals, the most ever by a guard in that series.
The case for Brunson
Brunson is New York’s primary scorer, late-game decision-maker and offensive organizer. Opponents know where the ball is going in close games, yet he repeatedly found ways to score during the Knicks’ title run. That ability is difficult to dismiss when judging the league’s best players.
His postseason performance also answers a question that can follow stars for years: whether their offense holds up deep into June. Brunson’s did. The Knicks won the championship with him directing possessions under the greatest pressure the sport offers.
A top-five argument can start with that evidence. A player who serves as the leading force on a title team and wins Finals MVP has earned consideration alongside anyone in the league. Brunson has also received All-NBA honors in three straight seasons, giving his case a regular-season foundation beyond one playoff run.
Why sixth is defensible
The players immediately ahead of Brunson present a formidable comparison. Jokić leads Denver’s offense as a scorer, rebounder and passer. Wembanyama changes games defensively as well as offensively. Gilgeous-Alexander is coming off consecutive MVP awards, while Dončić remains one of the league’s most prolific creators. Antetokounmpo’s health is a question after an injury-shortened season, but his production when available remains extraordinary.
ESPN’s criteria also focus on the coming regular season. Brunson’s championship strengthens his standing, but voters still have to forecast how much each player will contribute across the full schedule. Another analysis of ESPN’s ranking argued that Brunson’s size and defense make No. 6 too high, showing how widely evaluations of his overall impact can differ.
Brunson belongs in the conversation. I would put him sixth entering the season because the five players ahead of him offer stronger combinations of production and impact across the court. But the gap is narrow. If he sustains his regular-season level and guides New York through another deep playoff run, arguing for a top-five spot will become much easier.
