Brunson enters the season with a championship and Finals MVP award; a regular-season MVP case will take a different kind of campaign.
Jalen Brunson has already answered the biggest question that followed him into last season. He led the New York Knicks to an NBA championship and won Finals MVP after averaging 32.6 points against the San Antonio Spurs.
Winning the regular-season MVP in 2026-27 presents a different challenge. The award will be decided by what Brunson and the Knicks do over the season’s full schedule, well before another playoff run can strengthen his case.
Brunson has the platform and the credibility. What he needs now is a season that makes voters see him as one of the league’s most valuable players from October through April.
Jun 13, 2026; San Antonio, Texas, USA; New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns (L) holds the Larry O'Brien championship trophy as Knicks guardJalenBrunson(R) holds the Finals MVP trophy after game five of the 2026 NBA Finals against the San Antonio Spurs at Frost Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn ImagesMake the Knicks’ success impossible to ignore
New York’s championship will bring heightened expectations. A strong record alone may be viewed as the standard for a defending champion. A place near the top of the league standings, with Brunson clearly driving the offense, would give his MVP argument more force.
He also has to stand out on a roster with considerable talent. Karl-Anthony Towns, Mikal Bridges, OG Anunoby and Josh Hart can all influence wins. That depth benefits the Knicks, but it can make it harder for one player to claim the team’s results as the centerpiece of an individual award case.
Brunson’s best argument would come from controlling close games, creating efficient offense and keeping New York steady through the difficult stretches every team faces. His scoring matters, but so does how consistently he creates good chances for everyone around him.
Jun 13, 2026; San Antonio, Texas, USA; New York Knicks guardJalenBrunson(11) stands at the end of the court prior to the championship trophy celebration after game five of the 2026 NBA Finals against the San Antonio Spurs at Frost Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn ImagesBuild a full-season case
In 2025-26, Brunson averaged 26.0 points and 6.8 assists while earning another All-NBA Second Team selection. He enters this season with proof that his game works at the highest level. To win MVP, he likely needs another statistical step or a Knicks season so strong that his leadership becomes the clearest explanation for it.
Availability will matter, too. An award case is easier to sustain when a player performs night after night and gives voters a substantial body of work to compare with the league’s other stars.
The playoff heroics that made Brunson a New York champion cannot be counted as 2026-27 regular-season production. They can, however, change how closely people watch him. If he pairs that attention with excellent numbers, dependable availability and one of the NBA’s best records, he will have a credible path to MVP.
