Max Kellerman thinks Jalen Brunson did something against the San Antonio Spurs that Shai Gilgeous-Alexander could not, and he believes it makes the New York Knicks star a more valuable player.
Speaking on the Game Over podcast, Kellerman said the 2026 playoffs provided an almost perfect real-world comparison between Brunson and Shai. Both players operate as modern pick-and-roll guards, both are elite scorers and foul drawers, and both faced the same opponent with essentially the same defensive personnel and scheme.
And according to Kellerman, the comparison ultimately favored Brunson.
“So here, here’s the best real-world experiment this past season. And I’m going to say something SGA fans aren’t going to like, because SGA is a better defender and dah, dah, dah, dah, dah.
Here we have an almost perfect real-world experiment. Are there things you’re going to be able to say? ‘Oh, it’s because they’re on different teams.’ Nothing’s perfect. It’s not in the laboratory, but this is pretty close.
SGA and Jalen Brunson play the same position, right? Modern NBA pick-and-roll point guard, the whole stuff. Foul-baiting point guards. Jalen Brunson does it too.
Obviously, they both played the same team. There were no major injuries between the Western Conference Finals and the Finals. It was the same team. They deployed the same resources to stop that guy. Same defenders, same defensive scheme.
A lot of the time, it worked on SGA throughout the series. He was not able to overcome the Spurs’ defense in tight games and very competitive series. And SGA is a great player.
Of course, they did it to Brunson, and it worked the first two games. Brunson’s offense was not efficient the first couple of games, but because Brunson is better than SGA, meaning he’s more valuable than SGA, he was able to make adjustments.
Look, it’s not like the Knicks blew them out every game. They had to come back basically every game. Yeah, at least two or three. They definitely had to come back because Jalen Brunson’s basketball brain is working overtime, reading and reacting, you know, doing what he had to do to bring his team.”
The numbers provide some context for the argument.
Brunson averaged 32.6 points, 4.6 assists, and 4.2 rebounds over five games, shooting 42.9% from the field and 38.9% from three-point range. His series did not begin particularly efficiently, though. He struggled badly in the first two games, shooting 12-of-31 in Game 1 and 7-of-25 in Game 2.
Rather than allowing those struggles to define the series, Brunson found his way over the final three games and ultimately closed it out with a spectacular 45-point performance in Game 5.
Shai, meanwhile, averaged 25.9 points, 8.9 assists, and 2.9 rebounds over seven games against the Spurs, shooting 40.9% from the field and 28.6% from three-point range.
Kellerman did acknowledge that Shai was a much better defender, but his argument was never simply about individual offensive statistics. Instead, he focused on adaptability and the ability to figure out what a defense was taking away.
The fact that both players faced the Spurs made the comparison particularly interesting. There will always be differences between teams, teammates, and series circumstances, but Kellerman thinks the matchup provided enough similarities to draw a meaningful conclusion.
Brunson found answers against the Spurs. His basketball IQ allowed him to read the defense, react to adjustments, and find different ways to impact the game even when his shot was not falling.
And that is why Kellerman values Brunson more.
It is an extremely controversial conclusion given Shai’s standing in the NBA, but Brunson’s five-game performance gives the argument something tangible to point toward. After struggling early, he adjusted, carried the Knicks through several comeback victories, and finished the series with one of the biggest performances of his career.
For Kellerman, that ability to adapt under pressure separates Brunson from Shai, and that makes the Knicks star the more valuable player.
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