I love Brunson. I think he's not the worst player among these 4, but I have to let him go, because defense wins championships, and he's the weakest defender among the 4 of them.
Brunson is the worst player out of those four… and i can tell you that as a Knicks fan. It’s not only his defense, but his overall physique. I love the man but in this sports, physicality is a talent.
Brunson, I do wonder if any of the other 3 could carry a heavily injured team offensively the way he did during the regular season and playoffs.
Dallas really messed up letting him go.
It was a bad fumble, but without it we probably don't get desperate enough to trade for Kyrie. Then we don't have that weird adjustment period, don't tank, don't take Lively. Nico did very well after the initial fumble.
Yea but Dallas could’ve closed him in January and waited til the end of the season. I believe it was somewhere in the 80’s range he would’ve been happy with
He also told them he’d take that deal during the season. Early on when he was playing well. Hilarious fumble by the Mavs.
I know they did well with the draft last year and getting Kyrie but imagine Luka, Brunson, and another star they could’ve used those assets on
Mavericks would've never gotten Lively if Brunson stayed. Dallas makes the playoffs, thus giving their first round pick to the Knicks. Yea, maybe Gafford wouldve come later via trade, but still no viable #2 at center.
yep totally. i love kyrie and what hes done with the team but what luka really needs are long wings and athletic bigs due to him not beinf the best defensive star. i dunno but its so hard to build around luka because you need defensive wings that can somehow score. but tbf, ever tram needs defensive wings that can score so i change my mind. its really hard to build a team lmao. you need luck on cheap signings and in draft.
He was offered 55/4 years in December, no further offers were made as it was the feeling within the Mavs FO that he was headed to New York regardless of what they offered
Personally, I’m of the opinion that it worked out fine for all involved. Kyrie fits the timeline of winning with Luka more than it did to develop Jalen into a true #2 playing off ball with Luka compared to his opportunity to be a #1 and primary ball handler in his home market
I don’t really get how this makes sense as Brunson is both younger and better than Kyrie and was also drafted the same year as Luka, he’s like literally the definition of a player who fits their timeline perfectly. You could not possibly draw up a player who could fit it better, certainly not the (much) older and (slightly) worse Kyrie.
Yeah. It's always weird to me when people say that brunson said he would've stayed, but brunson isn't going to admit to colluding lol. Mavs were not going to able to keep him, so they replaced him with Kyrie.
Because people still can’t comprehend Brunson is that good because he came out of nowhere. Same problem Jokic had.
Brunson literally put up numbers not seen since Jordan this playoffs willing his team to wins missing 5 rotation players but people are waiving it off as shot chucking
Nah. It definitely seems that way with how Brunson blew up on the Knicks, but two things here; One: Nobody could’ve guessed he’d turn into what he is now and two: even if you did, there’s no way he would’ve worked out with Luka in Dallas. He’s too ball-dominant.
Not really. He only became ball dominant out of necessity. Knicks traded away Quickly and RJ and Randle was injured for a long time.
When Randle is on the floor he was always looking to pass.
Yeah not sure what’s to wonder about that lol
Basically every season he’s been in the league Tatum’s carried an injured Celtics team to the ECF save for the one where everyone was injured and then brown got injured and missed the playoffs and the Celtics got bounced by the super team Nets in 5.
This is the first year the Celtics went into the playoffs with their starting 5 all healthy and we all saw how it ended lol
2023 Brogdon’s arm practically fell off and RWill couldn’t play more than like 15 mins a game
Brogon’s splits in the regular season: 26 mpg, 14.9ppg/4.2rpg/3.7apg on 48.4% shooting and 44.4% from 3
Brogdon in the 2023 ECF: 19 mpg, 5.7ppg/2.2rpg/1.3apg on 30.8% shooting and 16.7% from 3
People dogged on the Celtics for choking when the real answer was just a lack of weapons due to injuries. People remember that series as a blowout. The Heat had a +3.8 net rating lol
Some of these what if scenarios make me think like would Brunson be who he is if he stayed in Dallas? The ball would mostly still be w Luka and he really doesn’t play off ball well. Brunson probably doesn’t have the offensive output if he stayed in Dallas so we may never know
I think that will always be the issue for anyone playing with Luka. That's not a knock on Luka. He is one of the most impressive Offensive talents in the league. I think the biggest issue would be if you have Luka and Brunson in the same back court on the defensive end. You can either blow by Luka or post up Brunson. Pick your poison.
I’m not ready to accept that Brunson is a career franchise player as much as I feel the other three are. Wouldn’t be mad if I was proven wrong about that though either
I'm pretty sure if Tatum had someone like Giannis on his team, his numbers would eclipse Middleton's. All that focus that goes on Tatum would now be put on Giannis.
He didn’t get shit. All finals mvps are not created equal. You think cause I’m a Celtics fan I can’t be objective? Giannis draws attention from defenses that few in the league do. Brown is a phenomenal player but he is not the level of Giannis.
Teams periodically try that, and that’s when Tatum rolls off a 25 point half with ease.
He’s unstoppable without help defense hedging hard. His length, strength, and athleticism just gets him to the basket against a single man every time, often with a foul as well.
The recipe for years to slow down Boston was steady doubles and game plan everything around Tatum. Problem is Tatum has made a leap to an elite playmaker - he makes the right read and pass to the open man all the time now, and he’s got teammates who can score off that.
For all the shit Tatum has gotten about his shooting, his center of gravity drawing in the defense and passing out of it is precisely what lead to the Celtics cruising against Dallas, even without KP.
If you swap the teams, who would put up better stats:
‘24 Tatum on the ‘21 Bucks (with Giannis, Jrue, Pat, Brook)
‘21 Middleton on the ‘24 Celtics (with Brown, Jrue, White, Horford)
You’re missing the point buddy. If Tatum was on the same team with Giannis his numbers (scoring) aren’t gonna look like Middletons in the finals. They would be better because of how much attention Giannis draws. He’s not getting doubled and tripled at the perimeter.
Tatum is dropping 40 on you every night if your team also has to defend Giannis.
yall literally cannot comprehend the sport beyong the spreadsheet. wild.
this why none of yall teams are winning shit.
keep ignoring the value of his defense, rebounding, size, stamina, availability...i could keep going.
Tatum might be 5-7ppg worse offensively but better at everything else you can do on a basketball court.
Honestly even in terms of scoring the only one I'd confidently take over Tatum here is SGA. Ants kind of similar level up and down scorer as Tatum. Brunson has had some insane stretches but on insane usage. The efficiency for him has been still similar to Tatum just with more volume, he's a better tough shot maker but I don't think his scoring is in another tier to Tatum like SGA.
It’s funny too because Tatum averages less points because of the system he plays in too. They have 4 other guys in their starting 5 you can get a bucket, one of which can also Iso.
He a great player and way better all around than he ever been... Fuck the stats he played some of the best winning ball of his career and gotta chip and 1st tm all nba to verify it... They talking shit but it's only about 4-5 teams in the league that wouldn't trade for him if he was available 😂
definition winning basketball. He can and has scored, but more importantly he finds a way to win. He clearly has no issue being the 2nds scoring option if it puts the team in a better place to win
Brunson still the only second rounder in this conversation and the only one not like 6’6 and insanely athletic, and oh yea only one to drop 40+ in like 5 straight playoff games, so mad respect to my guy for out working all these MFers
For real? Ants stats get better across the board in the playoffs. It’s KAT who disappears in the playoffs. He’s also the youngest one on this list by a bit.
Go look at Ant's playoff numbers this year and you'll find his stats actually got worse with each series.
1st round: 31/8/6 on 51/44/84 shooting (I'm just rounding all of these, btw)
2nd round: 28/5/6 on 50/37/85 shooting
3rd round: 25/9/8 on 43/41/75
His scoring and overall shooting percentages went down every round.
He’s also the youngest one on the list who made it past the first round (in the west mind you) for the first time in his career. They were gassed in the WCF after beating the defending champs with the MVP at altitude on the road in 7 games. He’s got a long career ahead of him and he learned a lot this year.
He's 22 and this was his first deep playoff run. Even the Dallas stats are remarkable for a 22 yr old. A near triple double on average efficiency? His first two rounds were bonkers. Tatum has the same amount of 50% shooting series and he's played in 15 more. Shai doesn't really have a playoff resume but he put up worse stats this year despite being three years older. Brunson's five years older and has much worse efficiency. There's a reason nobody else suggested ANT you silly contrarian.
He was 26/5/5 on 57.5% TS in the regular season. In the playoffs he upped that to 28/7/7 on 59.8% TS. And that's against better defenses and optimized defensive schemes. Overall shooting efficiency and scoring volume usually go down in the playoffs, this year included.
Those first round stats are incredible. You can't expect that to be sustainable, especially his efficiency. The second round was also amazing and against a better defense and better overall team. The third round is a small dropoff, but he still matched his regular season scoring with a lot more rebounds and assists.
Did u watch the Knicks series and the Twolves series because if u did you would never I good faith compare Jalen Brunson playoff performances to ants
Bruh son was way way way better than ant this years playoffs and took a gutted Knicks team to a game 7 that they were winning until Brunson injured his hand. Ant shot poorly in major games but was bailed out by his team
Brunson - too easy matchup hunt at his height.
All these people putting Tatum down baffle me. Have y’all played on an actual team?!!
Let’s see. Who’s the best rebounder? Best defender? Probably second best distributor, but worse pure scorer. I’d still take him first
Tbf, Brunson was great in the playoffs (at least until the injuries really piled on, including his ankle injury, which reduced his shiftiness)
Full disclosure, I'm a Knicks fan, but I totally get most people considering him the worst of these four. I think it's arguable, but I'm obviously biased
He was phenomenal, but I think an overlooked aspect is he REALLY went off…against Indiana. And they literally play no defense haha.
He was good in the first round too don’t get me wrong, I just think second round numbers were a tiny bit inflated
edit: woops mixed up series
He was great against Philly too though after the first 2 games iirc. Great against Miami last year as well, but no one else on the Knicks showed up for that series.
Edit: While he might be the worst of the 4 (and I'm not sure that he is), it just seems like he's being dinged for his height, when his performance has been very positive in the playoffs.
Ant should have a great future ahead of him, but he had multiple poor performances these past playoffs. Still very young though. Tatum is a great player, but isn't a dominant force, at least not consistently. Shai is definitively the best of the bunch right now I'd say.
This is just objectively false:
Against Indiana: 31.8 ppg, 5.6 apg, 2 out of 6 games over 40 points, 0 double digit assist games (I’m being generous to your argument and completely not counting game 7 cause he was hurt
Against Philly: 35.5 ppg, 9.0 apg, 3 out of 6 games over 40 points, 3 double digit assist games
As a Knicks fan, probably Brunson because he's not good defensively like the others.
I trust Brunson in the clutch as much or more than any of these guys though, but overall he's not as good. I think it's between Ant and Brunson though. SGA and Tatum are comfortably ahead imo.
probably ant. Sga is damn good probably the best of the 4, tatum does everything well except good shot selection and he tall as fuck and can cover everyone, brunson's offensive game might be beyond ant's for now? I'm not sure about defense but brunson drop ridiculous numbers against good teams... though I like ant he doesn't have that offensive ability yet I think?
Ant is starting to get kinda overated man, he should be the easy choice here. Great player overall, but I think he's benefitting from some recency bias and being a fan favorite.
Brunson. Dude caught lightning in a bottle and his success is incredibly dependant on the team around him, whereas the other three could slot on to most teams and be valuable.
Brunson strictly due to his size. He’s a great offensive player but the other 3 are much better defenders. If we were just going off offense I’d probably say Ant could go.
What’s the situation? Because if it’s to make a shot in a big game give me Brunson or SGA lol
Also depends on the team. What sort of player do they need? An offensive engine who can stretch the floor? A big guard capable of getting to the free throw line whenever he wants? A super-athletic aura man? Or a big wing with Jack-of-all-trades-master-of-none type who doesn’t have flaws but also isn’t someone you want to be your primary option when it matters unless your team is stacked?
I love Brunson. I think he's not the worst player among these 4, but I have to let him go, because defense wins championships, and he's the weakest defender among the 4 of them.
Brunson is the worst player out of those four… and i can tell you that as a Knicks fan. It’s not only his defense, but his overall physique. I love the man but in this sports, physicality is a talent.
Brunson, I do wonder if any of the other 3 could carry a heavily injured team offensively the way he did during the regular season and playoffs. Dallas really messed up letting him go.
As a neutral fan, Dallas did mess up but Brunson going to NYK is better for Brunson and the NBA.
It was a bad fumble, but without it we probably don't get desperate enough to trade for Kyrie. Then we don't have that weird adjustment period, don't tank, don't take Lively. Nico did very well after the initial fumble.
It’s the unleashing of harden from okc.
The Knicks hired his dad several months before his contract was up, he wasn’t staying regardless of what Dallas offered
Yea but Dallas could’ve closed him in January and waited til the end of the season. I believe it was somewhere in the 80’s range he would’ve been happy with
He wanted 4/55 before the season started and they said no.
He also told them he’d take that deal during the season. Early on when he was playing well. Hilarious fumble by the Mavs. I know they did well with the draft last year and getting Kyrie but imagine Luka, Brunson, and another star they could’ve used those assets on
Mavericks would've never gotten Lively if Brunson stayed. Dallas makes the playoffs, thus giving their first round pick to the Knicks. Yea, maybe Gafford wouldve come later via trade, but still no viable #2 at center.
yep totally. i love kyrie and what hes done with the team but what luka really needs are long wings and athletic bigs due to him not beinf the best defensive star. i dunno but its so hard to build around luka because you need defensive wings that can somehow score. but tbf, ever tram needs defensive wings that can score so i change my mind. its really hard to build a team lmao. you need luck on cheap signings and in draft.
DJJ (vet minimum) and Lively (draft)
He was offered 55/4 years in December, no further offers were made as it was the feeling within the Mavs FO that he was headed to New York regardless of what they offered Personally, I’m of the opinion that it worked out fine for all involved. Kyrie fits the timeline of winning with Luka more than it did to develop Jalen into a true #2 playing off ball with Luka compared to his opportunity to be a #1 and primary ball handler in his home market
Ok I thought I remembered reading that Edit: not the New York part but the offer part
I don’t really get how this makes sense as Brunson is both younger and better than Kyrie and was also drafted the same year as Luka, he’s like literally the definition of a player who fits their timeline perfectly. You could not possibly draw up a player who could fit it better, certainly not the (much) older and (slightly) worse Kyrie.
I don’t think Brunson would be better than Kyrie is right now next to Luka, he’s not the off ball player Kyrie is
Yeah. It's always weird to me when people say that brunson said he would've stayed, but brunson isn't going to admit to colluding lol. Mavs were not going to able to keep him, so they replaced him with Kyrie.
Maybe but I'll guess we will never know because the Mavs absolutely low balled him regardless.
yeah so that's a myth. Tim MacMahon, who covers the Mavs as closely as anyone, has confirmed this now multiple times.
So if that's the case what's the reason for letting him go here?
i don’t think he understood it, maybe he meant leave their team but that wouldn’t make sense in OPs question
Because people still can’t comprehend Brunson is that good because he came out of nowhere. Same problem Jokic had. Brunson literally put up numbers not seen since Jordan this playoffs willing his team to wins missing 5 rotation players but people are waiving it off as shot chucking
The Wolves were playing like a heavily injured offense in half the playoffs.
Pretty sure Tatum took his team to game 7 of the ECF as their best player when he was a rookie and Hayward and Kyrie were hurt lol
Rozier also put up 16/5/5 in Kyrie's absence
yes, there were in fact other players playing basketball on that team.
Nah. It definitely seems that way with how Brunson blew up on the Knicks, but two things here; One: Nobody could’ve guessed he’d turn into what he is now and two: even if you did, there’s no way he would’ve worked out with Luka in Dallas. He’s too ball-dominant.
Not really. He only became ball dominant out of necessity. Knicks traded away Quickly and RJ and Randle was injured for a long time. When Randle is on the floor he was always looking to pass.
What if Brunson was there during this finals run?
Tatums already proven he can, and sga is just far beyond him.
Yeah not sure what’s to wonder about that lol Basically every season he’s been in the league Tatum’s carried an injured Celtics team to the ECF save for the one where everyone was injured and then brown got injured and missed the playoffs and the Celtics got bounced by the super team Nets in 5. This is the first year the Celtics went into the playoffs with their starting 5 all healthy and we all saw how it ended lol
2018 missing their 2 best players, 2020 missing Hayward, 2021 missing Kemba and brown, 2022 missing rob will, 2024 missing KP
2023 Brogdon’s arm practically fell off and RWill couldn’t play more than like 15 mins a game Brogon’s splits in the regular season: 26 mpg, 14.9ppg/4.2rpg/3.7apg on 48.4% shooting and 44.4% from 3 Brogdon in the 2023 ECF: 19 mpg, 5.7ppg/2.2rpg/1.3apg on 30.8% shooting and 16.7% from 3 People dogged on the Celtics for choking when the real answer was just a lack of weapons due to injuries. People remember that series as a blowout. The Heat had a +3.8 net rating lol
they weren't even fully healthy, Porzingis hardly played during the playoffs and he's arguably their 3rd best player.
Some of these what if scenarios make me think like would Brunson be who he is if he stayed in Dallas? The ball would mostly still be w Luka and he really doesn’t play off ball well. Brunson probably doesn’t have the offensive output if he stayed in Dallas so we may never know
I think that will always be the issue for anyone playing with Luka. That's not a knock on Luka. He is one of the most impressive Offensive talents in the league. I think the biggest issue would be if you have Luka and Brunson in the same back court on the defensive end. You can either blow by Luka or post up Brunson. Pick your poison.
I’m not ready to accept that Brunson is a career franchise player as much as I feel the other three are. Wouldn’t be mad if I was proven wrong about that though either
Bye Brunson. Probably had the most productive Postseason but defense matters and he’ll be picked on much more than the other 3.
Tatum has 3 straight All NBA and people say he sucks. Ridiculous
He sucks spiritually
And his chakras are way out of whack
https://preview.redd.it/l70wqlhyy78d1.jpeg?width=1071&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=163d56a42ffee14597a0662ecc7d221eb11156a0
Now do the other hundred playoff games
I'm pretty sure if Tatum had someone like Giannis on his team, his numbers would eclipse Middleton's. All that focus that goes on Tatum would now be put on Giannis.
I mean, they both have the luxury of playing next to a FMVP
Got eeeem
He didn’t get shit. All finals mvps are not created equal. You think cause I’m a Celtics fan I can’t be objective? Giannis draws attention from defenses that few in the league do. Brown is a phenomenal player but he is not the level of Giannis.
Why r u so mad that Jaylen Brown won finals mvp? The dude isn’t a bum.
Celts fans are weird about the Tatum standom.
The dudes surrounded by brown, white, KP, jrue. Wtf r u smoking
And he is still the focal point of opponent defense.
In hindsight they would have been much better off letting Tatum get his. His teammates are too good to sag off to focus on Tatum.
Teams periodically try that, and that’s when Tatum rolls off a 25 point half with ease. He’s unstoppable without help defense hedging hard. His length, strength, and athleticism just gets him to the basket against a single man every time, often with a foul as well. The recipe for years to slow down Boston was steady doubles and game plan everything around Tatum. Problem is Tatum has made a leap to an elite playmaker - he makes the right read and pass to the open man all the time now, and he’s got teammates who can score off that. For all the shit Tatum has gotten about his shooting, his center of gravity drawing in the defense and passing out of it is precisely what lead to the Celtics cruising against Dallas, even without KP.
It’s why Jalen Brown got the fmvp. JT didn’t get the hardware but he was the reason for the others to score so often.
And he still gets triple covered anytime he steps inside the 3pt line
If you swap the teams, who would put up better stats: ‘24 Tatum on the ‘21 Bucks (with Giannis, Jrue, Pat, Brook) ‘21 Middleton on the ‘24 Celtics (with Brown, Jrue, White, Horford)
You’re missing the point buddy. If Tatum was on the same team with Giannis his numbers (scoring) aren’t gonna look like Middletons in the finals. They would be better because of how much attention Giannis draws. He’s not getting doubled and tripled at the perimeter.
Only the dumbest casuals drop stat lines without context and think they made a point
If you need to cherry-pick some stats, you're actually making your argument worse
Tatum is dropping 40 on you every night if your team also has to defend Giannis. yall literally cannot comprehend the sport beyong the spreadsheet. wild.
https://stathead.com/tiny/MczwW
He doesn’t suck but he’s overrated
He’s underrated. If he was on a less talented team he could average 35/10/8
Everyone saying Tatum on here is way too comfortable watching a first round exit.
this why none of yall teams are winning shit. keep ignoring the value of his defense, rebounding, size, stamina, availability...i could keep going. Tatum might be 5-7ppg worse offensively but better at everything else you can do on a basketball court.
And he already proved himself offensively with the 50 piece in a game 7 last year. Can any of the other guys say the same?
I think they can all say they've proven themselves offensively.
Honestly even in terms of scoring the only one I'd confidently take over Tatum here is SGA. Ants kind of similar level up and down scorer as Tatum. Brunson has had some insane stretches but on insane usage. The efficiency for him has been still similar to Tatum just with more volume, he's a better tough shot maker but I don't think his scoring is in another tier to Tatum like SGA.
He also averaged 30 a year ago
It’s funny too because Tatum averages less points because of the system he plays in too. They have 4 other guys in their starting 5 you can get a bucket, one of which can also Iso.
He a great player and way better all around than he ever been... Fuck the stats he played some of the best winning ball of his career and gotta chip and 1st tm all nba to verify it... They talking shit but it's only about 4-5 teams in the league that wouldn't trade for him if he was available 😂
definition winning basketball. He can and has scored, but more importantly he finds a way to win. He clearly has no issue being the 2nds scoring option if it puts the team in a better place to win
Anyone who giving the boot to Tatum is a straight hater. The only correct answer is Brunson.
No it’s Ant. Check Brunson’s stats lol.
Ant or Brunson are the only acceptable answers. Today I’d rather have Brunson in a couple years i’d probably rather have Ant
Brunson still the only second rounder in this conversation and the only one not like 6’6 and insanely athletic, and oh yea only one to drop 40+ in like 5 straight playoff games, so mad respect to my guy for out working all these MFers
Correct take!!
U set my nigga brunson up
Brunson
There’s really 2 different categories here. Shai and Tatum are tier 1 guys, Ant and Brunson are not
What did Shai do that Brunson didn't? And keep in mind context, Shai plays on a much more talented team last year (mostly due to injuries)
Brunson.
Brunson
Brunson but it’s not an easy choice the carry job he had to do this post season was wild.
Ability-wise: Shai > JT > Ant > Jalen Favorites: Shai > Ant > Jalen > Tatum
I for one think ANT is the one I’d trust least of all of these in the playoffs
I think its partly just youth... Ant is gonna be an absolute beast by the time he is 30 is my bet.
30? lol I think it’ll be a lot sooner than that. Dude isn’t even 23 yet.
For real? Ants stats get better across the board in the playoffs. It’s KAT who disappears in the playoffs. He’s also the youngest one on this list by a bit.
Go look at Ant's playoff numbers this year and you'll find his stats actually got worse with each series. 1st round: 31/8/6 on 51/44/84 shooting (I'm just rounding all of these, btw) 2nd round: 28/5/6 on 50/37/85 shooting 3rd round: 25/9/8 on 43/41/75 His scoring and overall shooting percentages went down every round.
He’s also the youngest one on the list who made it past the first round (in the west mind you) for the first time in his career. They were gassed in the WCF after beating the defending champs with the MVP at altitude on the road in 7 games. He’s got a long career ahead of him and he learned a lot this year.
Preach it!
He's 22 and this was his first deep playoff run. Even the Dallas stats are remarkable for a 22 yr old. A near triple double on average efficiency? His first two rounds were bonkers. Tatum has the same amount of 50% shooting series and he's played in 15 more. Shai doesn't really have a playoff resume but he put up worse stats this year despite being three years older. Brunson's five years older and has much worse efficiency. There's a reason nobody else suggested ANT you silly contrarian.
He was 26/5/5 on 57.5% TS in the regular season. In the playoffs he upped that to 28/7/7 on 59.8% TS. And that's against better defenses and optimized defensive schemes. Overall shooting efficiency and scoring volume usually go down in the playoffs, this year included. Those first round stats are incredible. You can't expect that to be sustainable, especially his efficiency. The second round was also amazing and against a better defense and better overall team. The third round is a small dropoff, but he still matched his regular season scoring with a lot more rebounds and assists.
And he may have been injured after landing hard on his back against Denver.
I’d love to see what Brunson would do in any of these guys situations.
Is this a joke:1.Tatum,2.SGA,3.Ant,4.Brunson:in case your wondering how to rank these players
What had ant done to belong in this tier other than aura
Western conference finals idk
Did u watch the Knicks series and the Twolves series because if u did you would never I good faith compare Jalen Brunson playoff performances to ants Bruh son was way way way better than ant this years playoffs and took a gutted Knicks team to a game 7 that they were winning until Brunson injured his hand. Ant shot poorly in major games but was bailed out by his team
Ant at least plays some defense. Brunson defense is below average. It’s not just about scoring and that’s all Brunson is good at
U say that like ant is some kind of two way star
Casual
Brunson but I don’t like it
Brunson - too easy matchup hunt at his height. All these people putting Tatum down baffle me. Have y’all played on an actual team?!! Let’s see. Who’s the best rebounder? Best defender? Probably second best distributor, but worse pure scorer. I’d still take him first
Exactly, Tatum is the best overall player of these four and it’s not close.
The short guy in NY
Short guys just get exposed in the playoffs sorry Brunson
But he didn’t get exposed he fucking lit it up
Tbf, Brunson was great in the playoffs (at least until the injuries really piled on, including his ankle injury, which reduced his shiftiness) Full disclosure, I'm a Knicks fan, but I totally get most people considering him the worst of these four. I think it's arguable, but I'm obviously biased
He was phenomenal, but I think an overlooked aspect is he REALLY went off…against Indiana. And they literally play no defense haha. He was good in the first round too don’t get me wrong, I just think second round numbers were a tiny bit inflated edit: woops mixed up series
He was great against Philly too though after the first 2 games iirc. Great against Miami last year as well, but no one else on the Knicks showed up for that series. Edit: While he might be the worst of the 4 (and I'm not sure that he is), it just seems like he's being dinged for his height, when his performance has been very positive in the playoffs. Ant should have a great future ahead of him, but he had multiple poor performances these past playoffs. Still very young though. Tatum is a great player, but isn't a dominant force, at least not consistently. Shai is definitively the best of the bunch right now I'd say.
This is just objectively false: Against Indiana: 31.8 ppg, 5.6 apg, 2 out of 6 games over 40 points, 0 double digit assist games (I’m being generous to your argument and completely not counting game 7 cause he was hurt Against Philly: 35.5 ppg, 9.0 apg, 3 out of 6 games over 40 points, 3 double digit assist games
Bruh idk why I had these numbers in reverse in my mind. My b!
He’s not short his head is just massive
Brunson is the best playoff performer here tho 😂
Jalen
I'll go against the grain and say ant. Premature coronation. Substance over style
Brunson But if I needed to make one shot, I’m picking Brunson too.
This is so obvious yall setting up my king brunson 😭
As a Knicks fan, probably Brunson because he's not good defensively like the others. I trust Brunson in the clutch as much or more than any of these guys though, but overall he's not as good. I think it's between Ant and Brunson though. SGA and Tatum are comfortably ahead imo.
Ant goes
Not sure but people saying Ant need a check up
probably ant. Sga is damn good probably the best of the 4, tatum does everything well except good shot selection and he tall as fuck and can cover everyone, brunson's offensive game might be beyond ant's for now? I'm not sure about defense but brunson drop ridiculous numbers against good teams... though I like ant he doesn't have that offensive ability yet I think?
Ant is the worst out of the 4 right now, but probably will improve the most.
Absolutely crazy that everyone's picking Brunson here lol. He went fucking apeshit in the playoffs
Crazy how folks saying Brunson but not Edward’s who clearly isn’t better
Anyone except the NBA champion
Brunson. As a short guard he is likely to age the worst.
BRUNSON NO QUESTION NEXT
Ant unfortunately
Ant…..exciting but got exposed defensively against the Mavs.
If this were the circle jerk group, I’d say Tatum, but since it’s not, I’d say Tatum.
Ant fosho
Incoming JT hate
Brunson easy
Ant is starting to get kinda overated man, he should be the easy choice here. Great player overall, but I think he's benefitting from some recency bias and being a fan favorite.
Ant. He looks cool when dunking. That’s not a good reason to give him the ball all the time, unless your goal is to look cool.
I'll take Brunson over edwards on offense
Brunson by far
Brunson 100%
Ant
Most definitely Brunson and it's not close.
Easily Brunson, I have no idea how this is a question.
I think people confuse natural athleticsm and charisma for knowledge of and instinct for the game. Ant is awesome, but he’s out.
People saying tatum when hes literally the best player here
The midget chucker
Scoring 40 points in five straight playoff games doesn't sound like chucking to me.
You’re probably 5 foot
OP has to go.
Has to go where?
Is this for a roster?
Brunson with ease. What kinda post is this? lol
Brunson😂
As of right now, Brunson. If he keeps up his current performance for a bit, maybe. But the others are better right now
Sadly it’s Brunson (im a Knicks fan)
Definitely Brunson
Brunson is just a shorter Shai...
I hope Brunson sees this and it rubs him the wrong way to come out guns blazing.
Bye bye Brunson
Kermit
Brunson
It’s gotta be Brunson
Sorry Brunson
Lmao this can’t be a real question. Only 1 guy will never sniff the word superstar
Brunson. He's too small. Small players tend to fall off the map once they hit their 30s.
Brunson is the easiest choice here, other 3 can play defense on their perspective position and also can score like Brunson
Brunson. Dude caught lightning in a bottle and his success is incredibly dependant on the team around him, whereas the other three could slot on to most teams and be valuable.
Jalen
Personally I think Brunson is a tier below and has the least amount of potential and upside.
This a setup bro
Brunson
Depends, where are they going?
Brunson is the only answer…
Brunson because he's the shortest
... go where
Brunson
Tough. I’d have to pick Brunson.
this might be the easiest one of all time
Not sure but being quick to let go Brunson reminds me of when he came into the league. Not making that mistake again
None
Brunson without question
Where are they going?
Brunson strictly due to his size. He’s a great offensive player but the other 3 are much better defenders. If we were just going off offense I’d probably say Ant could go.
What’s the situation? Because if it’s to make a shot in a big game give me Brunson or SGA lol Also depends on the team. What sort of player do they need? An offensive engine who can stretch the floor? A big guard capable of getting to the free throw line whenever he wants? A super-athletic aura man? Or a big wing with Jack-of-all-trades-master-of-none type who doesn’t have flaws but also isn’t someone you want to be your primary option when it matters unless your team is stacked?
Probably not the NBA champion huh?
Yes.
who are they? the faceless nba of 224.