Jalen Brunson Draws Major Luka Doncic Claim Amid NBA Finals

New York Knicks star Jalen Brunson traveled an unlikely journey, from second round pick out of Villanova, to a two-time NBA All-Star who is now competing in the NBA Finals.

He began his career with the Dallas Mavericks, which many believed might leave him in obscurity, especially once the team added franchise superstar Luka Doncic to the roster.

Ultimately, Brunson sought a better opportunity, signing a lucrative deal to become the Knicks’ star point guard, and he’s since shown that Dallas let another player slip away.

According to ESPN’s Michael Wilbon, there’s a major difference when it comes to Brunson compared to his former teammate, Luka, who is now part of the Los Angeles Lakers roster alongside fellow superstar, LeBron James.

More news:Caitlin Clark Addresses Halftime Vomiting Incident in Fever Win Over Dream

According to Wilbon, he wants to change his vote for the All-NBA First Team, and put Brunson on there.

“Jalen Brunson’s at least as valuable as Luka Doncic. At least … Brunson isn’t a great defender but he doesn’t take a ‘I don’t give a damn approach.’ Luka doesn’t care about that side [of his game],” Michael Wilbon said during ESPN’s coverage.

He compared Brunson to early Stephen Curry, who also wasn’t a great defender but makes the effort to defend, unlike Luka.

“Effort’s there but he won’t let somebody just blow by him,” Wilbon’s co-star, former Knicks player Iman Shumpert added, regarding Brunson.

Wilbon contended that people value Luka’s crazy-high scoring average and triple-double performances in games over valuing the overall effort Brunson gives to the game of basketball.

It's worth noting that Luka ranked sixth in the NBA for steals this past season with 1.6 per game, while Brunson averaged fewer than one per game. Still, Brunson’s intagibles are harder to measure, including making serious efforts to defend, or helping with traps, switches, and other aspects of his game that can’t be truly measured.

Luka is often criticized as a defensive liability for the Lakers, who were considered an overall poor defensive team unable to stop the juggnernaut that was the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference Semifinals.

Los Angeles might be able to upgrade that aspect of their team through the NBA Draft, trades, or free agency signings, but it’s an obvious glaring weakness with Luka’s game and his team.

Meanwhile, the Knicks have shown the formula for a winning team mentality, with all of the players bought into the system, and Brunson giving all-out effort to his leadership and defensive matchups. He’s a star that arrived in the unlikeliest of ways from No. 33 to potentially bringing NYC another championship.

Brunson and the Knicks are back on the court for Game 2 of the NBA Finals which begins at 8:30 p.m. ET on Friday evening.

More news:Olympic Gold Medalist Chloe Kim ‘Can't Believe' Myles Garrett Trade to Rams

For more about the NBA Playoffs, head over to Newsweek Sports.

2026 NEWSWEEK DIGITAL LLC.

This story was originally published June 5, 2026 at 11:48 AM.