Jalen Brunson’s climb to the top of the NBA has been a slow burn, but it has landed him in a very loud conversation.
The New York Knicks guard, taken 33rd in the 2018 NBA Draft, has gone from secondary option in Dallas to the face of a franchise in New York. After spending his first four seasons playing behind Luka Doncic with the Mavericks, Brunson got his chance to run the show when he arrived with the Knicks ahead of the 2022-23 season. He hasn’t looked back.
Now, after leading the Knicks to their first championship in 53 years and taking home Finals MVP, Brunson’s place among the league’s elite is no longer up for debate. The real question, at least on a recent episode of the “Game Over” podcast, was how far his star reaches compared to the rest of the NBA.
Max Kellerman made the argument in blunt terms, saying Brunson is already a bigger draw than some of the game’s biggest names.
“Jalen Brunson is a bigger star than Shai - not close. Bigger star than Jokic - not close.
None of those,” Kellerman stated. “The only guys who are on his level- he’s a bigger star than KD.
He’s a bigger draw than KD right now.”
Rich Paul stepped in to make sure the point was being framed around the NBA today, and Kellerman kept going, pointing to the league’s cap on nationally televised games.
“The most nationally televised games you’re allowed is 34,” he continued. “The Lakers get it, because they’re the Lakers… Knicks get 34, 76ers get 34, Wemby gets 34.
Oklahoma City gets 30; that’s a hell of a thing considering the small market. The Nuggets then get 28.
Jokic is a big star.”
A good chunk of that conversation centered on Tyrese Haliburton’s criticism of the Pacers’ opening-night game not being nationally televised, but Kellerman’s comments about Brunson stand on their own and are the ones drawing the most attention.
His point was rooted in the reality of TV exposure: New York gets treated like New York. The Knicks are one of the biggest brands in global sports, and after a title run, they’re going to command even more of the spotlight. That part of the equation is easy to understand.
But the other side matters too. Teams like the Thunder and Nuggets don’t live in the same market-driven spotlight, yet both still get a healthy number of national games because of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Nikola Jokic. Those teams are title contenders, and their stars still pull real weight with the audience.
The bigger question is whether that TV math actually settles the star-power debate. Not really.
Brunson is unquestionably a top-tier player now, and he’s become a household name. But the Knicks’ rise in national exposure isn’t only about him; it’s also about New York, the hype machine that comes with the franchise, and the attention that follows it everywhere.
At the same time, there’s an argument that small-market teams like Oklahoma City and Denver getting 25-plus national appearances says just as much about the stars carrying them. Even with the Nuggets dealing with summer roster strain tied to the second apron, Jokic remains the kind of player networks can still bank on.
None of that erases what Brunson has become. If anything, it reinforces it.
He’s earned his place with production, sacrifice and big-stage performance, and after what he just did in the Finals, it’s fair to call him one of the most understated superstars in the league. He may even be the template for what the modern superstar looks like.
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