Jalen Brunson’s critics question his championship ceiling, but his NBA Cup MVP, Clutch Player of the Year award, and elite production tell a different story.

The debate around Jalen Brunson has become louder as the playoffs approach, but the pushback against his status often ignores what he has already accomplished. It is fair to say he does not belong in the Nikola Jokić or Victor Wembanyama tier as an all-encompassing force, yet that is not the same as saying he is not a true franchise player. That distinction matters, especially when discussing the New York Knicks and the role he has carved out as their offensive engine.

In December, Brunson did not simply help the Knicks win the 2025 Emirates NBA Cup. He drove them there, then capped the run by earning tournament MVP honors after New York rallied past San Antonio in Las Vegas for the franchise’s first trophy since 1973. NBA.com’s live championship coverage noted that Brunson averaged 33.2 points per game in NBA Cup play and was named MVP of the tournament, while the Knicks beat the Spurs 124-113 in the final. 

That matters because it directly challenges the idea that Brunson shrinks on the big stage. He has already shown that when the lights are brightest, he can command a game, dictate tempo, and deliver a winning performance for a team with enormous pressure attached to it. That is not the profile of a supporting piece pretending to be a star. That is the profile of a lead guard who has already proven he can handle a spotlight that many players never truly master. 

The regular-season résumé only strengthens that case. Brunson finished the 2025-26 season averaging 26.0 points, 6.7 assists, and 3.4 rebounds per game, according to ESPN. Those are not empty numbers either. They sit alongside one of the strongest clutch reputations in the league, which was already validated when he won the 2024-25 Kia NBA Clutch Player of the Year award after leading the NBA in clutch scoring average and field goals made in those situations. 

The real test is not whether Brunson is elite, but whether the Knicks can maximize him

What critics like Colin Cowherd get right is that there are historical questions about building a title team around a smaller lead guard. That concern is real. But where the argument becomes too shallow is in pretending Brunson has not already supplied enough evidence that he can be the emotional and competitive center of a contender. The more relevant question is whether the Knicks have built a roster good enough around him to let that version of Brunson carry all the way through four playoff rounds.

There have already been flashes of what that looks like. On February 4, Brunson produced one of the season’s signature performances, finishing with 42 points, nine assists, and eight rebounds in a double-overtime win over Denver, including 10 points in the second overtime alone. That game was a reminder that his postseason case is not built on narrative alone. He can bend elite opponents with shot-making, control, and late-game nerve. 

So yes, Cowherd is right that Brunson is not Jokic. He is right that Brunson is not the biggest or most physically overwhelming star in the sport. But dismissing him as “not that guy” stretches the argument too far when the same player owns an NBA Cup MVP, a Clutch Player of the Year trophy, and another season at 26 points per game for a top playoff seed. 

Brunson may not fit the classic template. He may never win every national-media argument. But the idea that New York is blindly overrating him no longer holds up. The résumé is already too strong for that. What comes next in the playoffs will not determine whether he belongs in the conversation. It will determine how much higher he can force it to go.

The Knicks’ playoff hopes may hinge on the Brunson-Towns connection. Their pick-and-roll chemistry is becoming unstoppable at the perfect time.

As the New York Knicks head into the postseason, one storyline is gaining momentum at exactly the right time: the growing chemistry between Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns.

For much of the season, questions surrounded how effectively the two stars could coexist within the same offensive system. There were flashes of brilliance, but also stretches where the connection seemed inconsistent. Now, however, the pieces are beginning to fall into place.

Recent performances suggest a clear shift. Brunson has taken on more of a facilitator’s role in key moments, while Towns has rediscovered his scoring rhythm. This balance has created a more dynamic offensive structure, one that is harder for opposing defenses to predict and contain.

The timing could not be better. With the playoffs set to begin, the Knicks are finally seeing their two most important offensive players operate in sync.

Pick-and-roll dominance could define New York’s playoff run

At the core of this improved synergy is one of basketball’s most fundamental yet effective actions: the pick-and-roll. According to recent data, Brunson and Towns have emerged as one of the most productive duos in the league when operating off ball screens since early February.

Their efficiency in these situations has not just been good—it has been elite. Whether it is Brunson attacking off the dribble or Towns rolling, popping, or spacing the floor, the combination forces defenses into difficult decisions.

This versatility is what makes the pairing so dangerous. Opponents cannot simply commit to stopping one option without exposing themselves to another. And in the playoffs, where half-court execution becomes paramount, having a reliable two-man game can be the difference between advancing and going home.

For New York, leaning into this strength may be the clearest path forward. While the supporting cast will play an important role, the Brunson-Towns connection has the potential to anchor everything offensively.

If this partnership continues to operate at its current level, the Knicks will not just be competitive—they will be a legitimate threat to make a deep postseason run.

Jalen Brunson’s status as a true franchise superstar is under fire after Colin Cowherd’s comments. Here is why the Knicks guard remains one of the NBA’s biggest playoff questions.

Jalen Brunson has already done enough this season to make any simple dismissal feel lazy. He finished the regular season averaging 26.0 points and 6.7 assists per game, while leading the New York Knicks to a 53-29 record and the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference. New York now opens its first-round series against the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday, April 18, with home court and real expectations of making another deep postseason run. 

And yet the debate around his ceiling refuses to disappear. The criticism is not really about whether Brunson is productive. It is about whether he is the kind of player who can be the best player on a true title team. That is where voices like Colin Cowherd keep pushing back, framing him as a very good lead guard rather than a genuine top-tier franchise force. The argument usually comes down to archetype: Brunson is brilliant, but at 6-foot-2, some analysts still struggle to picture him as the central figure on a championship winner. 

That skepticism has only grown louder because of the environment around him. The Knicks are no longer a feel-good story. They are a win-now team with pressure attached. Brunson is not being measured against ordinary All-Stars anymore. He is being measured against the players who define title races, and that is where the conversation gets harsher. When people compare him with names like Nikola Jokic, Jayson Tatum, Anthony Edwards, or Victor Wembanyama, the focus shifts away from what he has accomplished and toward whether he can command a postseason the way the league’s biggest physical superstars can. That is the real source of the debate, not whether he is excellent, because that part is already settled. 

The playoffs will decide whether Brunson changes the conversation

What makes this debate especially interesting is the timing. Brunson is heading into a playoff series that looks manageable on paper but tricky in practice. The Knicks are favored against Atlanta, and betting markets have reflected that edge, but the matchup is not as comfortable as the seeding might suggest. The Hawks closed the season with momentum, and one of the central storylines of the series is how Brunson handles Atlanta’s point-of-attack defense, especially Dyson Daniels, who has spent more time defending Brunson than any other player and has made his life difficult. 

That is why this is the perfect stage for Brunson to answer the criticism in the only way that matters. If he controls the series, lifts New York into the second round, and keeps producing under playoff pressure, the “not that guy” label starts to look increasingly disconnected from reality. If he struggles badly and the Knicks wobble, then every outside doubt about his size, ceiling, and ability to anchor a title run will come flooding back. In other words, the discussion is no longer theoretical. It is attached directly to the results in front of him. 

The truth is probably more nuanced than either extreme. Brunson does not have to be the biggest player in the league to be the emotional and competitive engine of a championship-level team. But he does need playoff moments that force people to stop speaking about him like a high-end overachiever and start speaking about him like a star who bends series to his will. That is the threshold now. And with the Knicks entering this postseason as a top-three seed with a clear path to prove themselves, Brunson has the opportunity to turn a tired debate into a much simpler conclusion: New York is not overrating him at all.