1. Jalen Brunson
Please note that we said more traditional option.
Jalen Brunson is no threat to lead the league in assists either. Unlike Collin Sexton, he won’t rank near the top in points per game either. At this point, you may be asking yourself: what makes Brunson a better option than Sexton?
Advanced metrics may provide an answer. In comparing the best seasons of each guard, it appears Jalen Brunson makes a bigger impact on winning. His Value Over Replacement Player (VORP) of 1.9 from 2021-22 trumps Sexton’s 1.0 from 2020-21. Brunson has a bigger edge in Box Plus/Minus (BPM): his 0.9 from last season dwarfs Sexton’s -0.2 from 2020-21.
Much of the difference may come on the defensive end. Jalen Brunson is a solid option in that regard, while Collin Sexton is something of a liability. Brunson is also the better game manager. He averaged 4.8 assists and 1.6 turnovers per game in 2021-22. He may not dominate highlight reels with dimes, but he doesn’t occupy lowlight reels either.
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He was the definition of solid in 2021-22. After a tumultuous season, that may be exactly what these New York Knicks need.
