One of the most interesting aspects of the New York Knicks’ surprisingly successful playoff run has been the ascent of Jalen Brunson. With New York one win away from closing out the defending champion Boston Celtics, Brunson has been a spectacular playoff performer once again. If he and his Knicks can finish the job and advance to the franchise’s first Eastern Conference Finals in a quarter-century, the former second-round pick will begin to enter serious conversations with the NBA’s top tier of players. This kind of superstardom never seemed possible for the undersized Villanova product, but he has ascended firmly into the league’s top ten.

Before this postseason, there was a consensus top four players in basketball. These four were the automatic All-NBA First Team selections and are unimpeachable top-five guys in Nikola Jokic, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and Jayson Tatum. Jokic has three MVPs, an NBA Finals MVP, and is the best offensive player of the last decade. He is battling with SGA for the 2024-25 MVP race, as well as in a tightly contested second-round series. Giannis has two MVPs, a NBA Finals MVP, and was the first round’s best statistical performer despite losing in five games. Tatum is set to make his fourth straight All-NBA First Team and is the defending champion. His devastating Achilles injury in Game 4 may knock him out of the top five for next season, but as of now, Tatum deserves that recognition.

So, who is the fifth-best player in the league? Luka Doncic and Anthony Edwards are probably the two strongest candidates for this honor. They squared off against each other in the 2024 Western Conference Finals, with Doncic’s legendary performance leading his team to the NBA Finals. Since then, Edwards has had a spectacular season, dusted Doncic (as a Laker) in five games in this year’s first round, and is having an incredible postseason run. He’ll likely finish off the Warriors to reach his second consecutive WCF.

There seems to be a third player who is entering the debate for the league’s fifth-best player. With a win tonight, Brunson will lead the Knicks to their first Eastern Conference Finals in 25 years. He will also make his own argument for being a top-five player. It’s wild to consider that this 6-foot-2, moderately athletic guard from Villanova has risen this far up the NBA ranks, but Brunson’s relentlessly consistent performance over the past four seasons leaves us no choice.

There’s an argument to be made that NY’s captain has been the third-best playoff player in basketball over the past four seasons. Jokic and Doncic have cemented their all-time great status since 2022, but no other player has outdone Brunson in that span. Antetokounmpo hasn’t won a playoff series since 2022 and has missed eight games. Gilgeous-Alexander is a newcomer to the playoff scene. Tatum has been excellent at times and won a championship, but hasn’t been nearly as consistent as Brunson has. Edwards has quite the resume, and the end of this playoff run will likely decide that argument.

Since 2023, Brunson’s first year as a Knick, he’s third in 30-point playoff games with 17. He’s first in 40-point games with seven, despite playing in many fewer games than the other stars. Brunson is second to Devin Booker in points per game in that span. The responsibility put on his shoulders to carry his team is only comparable to Jokic and Doncic, and he’s delivered seemingly every time.

Brunson is also perhaps the NBA’s best clutch performer, both during the regular and postseason. He once again leads the league in clutch points per game this postseason at 5.4. The next-best guy is Donovan Mitchell with 4.0 PPG. That comes after Brunson’s well-deserved Clutch Player of the Year award for the regular season. There’s simply no player more reliable in crunch-time than this small, “unathletic” guard out of Villanova. New York has played in nine clutch games this postseason and won seven of them. There’s one main reason for that: Jalen Brunson.

I would still give the edge for the fifth spot to Luka Doncic because his postseason resume is even greater than Brunson’s. However, with Doncic’s poor season and early playoff exit, Brunson can at least make it an argument with more heroics in the coming weeks. If he lifts the Knicks to the NBA Finals or brings a title to the Mecca, he will cement himself as a legitimate top-five NBA player.