2. New York Knicks
Best player: Jalen Brunson
Remember when everyone thought the Knicks were overpaying Jalen Brunson by giving him a 4-year, $104 million contract within minutes of free agency starting in 2022? Yeah, how times changed, right?
After leading the Knicks to the second round of the playoffs last season, Brunson elevated his game further this year. He averaged a career high in points (28.7) and assists (6.7) and led the Knicks to the second seed in the East. He also earned his first career All-Star selection and he is well on his way to MVP votes and an All-NBA selection.
In the last two postseasons, Brunson has shown that he can continue his elite play when it matters. Brunson is averaging 25/5/5 on 47 percent shooting from the field. In the playoffs, he has gotten off to a slow start, shooting only 29 percent from the field through two games against the Sixers.
Brunson has a level of toughness and leadership that can galvanize a squad and even with him shooting poorly from the field through two games against the Sixers, he is impacting the game in other ways, averaging seven assists and eight rebounds per game. The shots will start falling for him.
This might be high for Brunson, but given the injuries to Butler and Antetokounmpo, this is the logical spot for him. This leads to the number one player on the list…