SPANISH HARLEM – The New York Knicks have locked down the 5th seed in the Eastern Conference and will face the 4th seeded Cleveland Cavaliers. What’s the biggest reason why they have returned to playoff contention? Sure, two players deserve the most credit – Julius Randle and Jalen Brunson – but who will be the New York Knicks 2023 MVP, when the last balls are dribbled?
Julius Randle
The Knicks All-NBA forward is averaging 25 points, 10 rebounds, and 4 assists. He’s also shooting 34% from the 3-point line. While it’s not the 41 percent he averaged in 2021, its still up there with one of the best seasons of his career. He should be among the players voted for All-NBA and deservedly so. Us Knicks fans knew that for their team to be playoff-bound, we would need the 2021 Randle. While Julius hasn’t been quite that, he’s closely reminiscent.
Jalen Brunson
The New York Knickerbockers Point God has been a revelation since the moment he played his first game at Madison Square Garden. Brunson is averaging 24 points and 6 assists, all career highs. He has been everything you could ever ask for and more… MUCH MORE. Sure, we knew he was good, but a lot of people didn’t expect him to be this good. At 20 million a year, he was considered overpaid. That has changed and his salary now looks like a bargain, considering all he has done for the team. There is no doubt that he is the leader and next to Randle, the best player this year to wear a Knicks uniform.
Final Verdict
We all know how good Randle can be and he has stepped up again this season, but it is hard not to say that Brunson has made this team what it is today. We know what happened last season when the Knicks didn’t have a point guard on the floor. That has changed this year, specifically late in games. Now, the Knicks have one of the best clutch 4th quarters players in the league. Brunson has made all the difference and deserves NBA MVP votes as well.
That’s it for now, come back tomorrow for a special report from Greek Baseball Philosopher, Aristotle “Mugsy” Sakellaridis.
