Jalen Brunson Won an NBA Title, But the League's REAL Top-5 Doesn't Even Include Him.

Alright, Emerald City fam, let's talk NBA because sometimes the takes after a championship get wild. The New York Knicks just hoisted the trophy, right? Jalen Brunson led that squad on a dominant Finals run and cemented his spot in New York sports history forever. That's awesome. You gotta celebrate that! But hold up, people are already putting him in conversations he has *no business* being in. Like, seriously? We gotta pump the brakes on Brunson being a top-5 NBA player. It's a great story, but the truth? He's just not there.

The Champ Is Here, But Was He *The Guy*?

Look, I get it. We're all reactionary when a season ends. Your team wins it all, and suddenly your best player is the best in the world. Brunson is a great player, on a great team, no doubt. And huge props to the dude for turning down max money to help the Knicks build out that championship roster. Every other guy in the league talks about winning, but then they sign some massive $70 million deal that handcuffs their team for five years. I wouldn't turn down millions, so I don't hold it against them. But that selfless move, while amazing, doesn't make him a top-5 player. In fact, think about it: at many points during those Finals, Brunson wasn't even the best player on the court for the Knicks. Sometimes, he wasn't even the *second*-best! Winning a title is huge for a legacy, but it doesn't automatically vault you into that elite top-5 tier.

Sorry, Jalen: Here's the REAL Top 5

So, who *is* in that exclusive club? For my money, the top five in the NBA right now are: Nikola Jokic, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Giannis

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Antetokounmpo, Victor Wembanyama, and Luka Doncic. Anyone who doesn't have Jokic first is just crazy. He's been the best offensive player in the world for nearly a decade, and he's got the winning pedigree to back it all up. Then there's SGA. Yeah, he had a tough Western Conference Finals, but he's been the lead player on the best team in the NBA over the prior three seasons. He's clearly the second-best player in the league, even if his brand of basketball isn't always flashy. Giannis, when he's healthy, might still be the best player in the world. Sure, injuries and some playoff chokes make people undervalue him, but he's still the best two-way player, even over Wemby. Speaking of Wemby, he's the best defensive player of all time. Period. But he can't take over a game offensively like Giannis. We saw it in the Finals, in the biggest moments, he wasn't able to deliver. Yet, he was still the best player in that series. And Luka? Please, don't even start with the comparisons to Brunson, saying the Mavs should've kept Brunson over Luka. That's insane. It's like putting Jalen Hurts in the top-5 QB conversation after his Super Bowl win. Winning is everything for a lasting legacy, but it doesn't instantly make you the absolute best. Brunson is great, truly, but he's a few steps below all these legends. So, yeah, Brunson's got a ring, and that's huge. But let's not let the championship shine blind us from the real hierarchy in the league. The debate will rage on, of course, but for us true hoops junkies, understanding player value beyond the hardware is what it's all about. Keep those eyes peeled, folks, because the next season will reveal who truly belongs at the top of the mountain. Go Sports!

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.