Jalen Brunson keeps stacking up evidence that he belongs in a different tier.
The Knicks guard may not fit the old image of a top-five NBA player, but the numbers have started to do the talking for him. Scott Davis of NBA On SI made the case that Brunson is still underrated even after leading the Knicks to a championship, and the resume is getting harder to dismiss. Brunson has now earned All-NBA honors in three straight seasons, a run matched only by Nikola Jokic and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
He has also been one of the league’s most efficient high-volume engines since 2023-24. Only four players have averaged at least 25 points and six assists while shooting better than 37 percent from deep in that span, and the list is Brunson, Jokic, Gilgeous-Alexander and Luka Doncic.
The postseason case is just as strong. Over the last three years, Brunson has led the NBA in total playoff points and postseason scoring average. He finished last season with a 45-point performance in the championship-clinching Game 5 of the Finals.
There’s still room for debate. Whether Brunson belongs ahead of Giannis Antetokounmpo, Victor Wembanyama or others is a fair argument, and his defensive limitations are part of it. But the line of thinking that said a small guard couldn’t be the best player on a title team is gone.
Out in Los Angeles, a different kind of pressure is building for a trio of young Clippers.
Cem Yolbulan of Clippers On SI pointed to Gradey Dick, Cam Christie and Johni Broome as players with more than just rotation spots on the line heading into training camp. That was framed as his assessment, not a sign that the Clippers have made any decisions about their futures.
Dick is the best-known of the group after arriving from the Raptors in the Kawhi Leonard trade. The former lottery pick is heading into the final year of his rookie deal and has to carve out minutes in a crowded wing mix that includes Bradley Beal, Max Strus, Kris Dunn and Kobe Sanders.
Christie’s situation looks even tighter. The third-year guard still has not proven himself as an NBA shooter, and the Clippers have to trim the roster before opening night.
Broome may have the cleanest path. Yanic Konan Niederhauser is injured, and Brook Lopez is not expected to handle a heavy workload, which opens the door for backup center minutes.
All three got this far on potential. What they do next will come down to production.
In Utah, Svi Mykhailiuk’s role may be worth watching for a different reason.
Jared Koch of Jazz On SI suggested Mykhailiuk could become a trade candidate if he slips out of the Jazz’s wing rotation. Utah is not actively shopping him, but the roster setup creates the possibility. Darryn Peterson, Ace Bailey and Brice Sensabaugh all need playing time, and Josh Green and Josh Okogie are also in the mix for wing minutes.
Mykhailiuk still brings value as a low-cost shooter who can be dropped into a lineup without forcing the offense to change. His contract is worth roughly $3 million per year, which would make him easy for another team to absorb.
The Jazz have no urgent reason to move him. Shooting matters, especially over the grind of an 82-game season. But if the younger wings take over the available minutes, Utah may eventually have to decide whether Mykhailiuk is more useful as depth or as a trade chip.
In Other News...
Clippers Enter A Damaging New Chapter With Ballmer Forced Out
The Clippers are moving into an awkward and consequential stretch after the NBA approved John Gibson as interim governor and CEO, putting him in charge of the franchises business and basketball operations immediately. The change comes with Steve Ballmer suspended from all team-related activities for one year, a stunning development for a team that has spent the past several seasons trying to position itself as an elite contender in Los Angeles.
The backdrop here is far bigger than a routine leadership shuffle. The leagues findings centered on the Clippers use of no-show endorsement deals connected to Kawhi Leonard, and the matter is not finished, with the team still under a Department of Justice investigation. For a franchise already under pressure to win now, the uncertainty off the court is becoming as hard to ignore as the basketball questions on it. [Read more 🡒]
Clippers Just Handed One Person Huge Power During Ballmers Absence
The Clippers have turned to a familiar legal hand to help steer the franchise through a sudden stretch of uncertainty, naming attorney John Gibson as interim governor and CEO while Steve Ballmer serves his one-year suspension. The move, approved by the NBA, puts Gibson in charge of both the basketball and business sides of the organization, with added responsibility to represent the team at Board of Governors meetings.
For a club trying to keep its footing off the court while one of the leagues most prominent owners is sidelined, the arrangement gives Gibson a wide lane to operate. Ballmers suspension stems from a league investigation into salary cap circumvention tied to Kawhi Leonard, and the Clippers now have to manage the fallout with a temporary leader carrying real authority at a delicate moment. [Read more 🡒]
Clippers Just Entered A Strange New Era Without Steve Ballmer
The Clippers are entering a rare stretch of business with Steve Ballmer out of the day-to-day picture, and the league has already signed off on the person who will help steer things from the top. John Gibson has been named the clubs interim governor and CEO during Ballmers yearlong suspension for cap circumvention tied to Kawhi Leonard, giving the franchise a temporary new face in a role that usually comes with the owners full authority.
The organizational reshuffle does not stop there, either. Los Angeles is also operating without Lawrence Frank and Gillian Zucker, leaving Trent Redden to lead basketball operations while the team absorbs the fallout from the NBA investigation. For a franchise that has spent years trying to present stability and big-market ambition, the next several months will look unusually different. [Read more 🡒]