Toronto Raptors coach Darko Rajakovic has sparked debate by saying Jalen Brunson belongs in the same conversational tier as Nikola Jokic and Luka Doncic in at least one crucial area.

After a Knicks win over the Raptors, he praised Brunson as a guard who plays at his own pace, cannot be sped up and reads the floor with the same elite awareness as those perennial MVP candidates.​

Rajakovic stressed that Brunson is not the biggest, fastest or most explosive player, yet still controls games through technique, shooting touch and an almost obsessive feel for defenders’ positioning. In his view, that combination makes the Knicks star one of the most dangerous offensive weapons in the league, even if the awards conversation has not always reflected it.​

A Quarterfinal Masterclass Backs The Hype

Those words resurfaced with force when Brunson torched Toronto for 35 points in a 117 to 101 NBA Cup quarterfinal win that sent New York to the semifinals in Las Vegas. He piled up 20 in the first quarter alone, keeping the Knicks close during an early Raptors surge before New York flipped the game with a dominant second period.​

Teammates describe his performances as something close to courtside art, with Josh Hart admitting he sometimes feels like a spectator when Brunson goes into shot making mode and Karl-Anthony Towns calling it a front row seat to one of the league’s best players.

Across the season, he has carried New York’s offense with near 30-point averages and strong efficiency, reinforcing the narrative that he now dictates outcomes rather than merely complementing others.​​

Growing MVP Buzz Around Knicks Star

Rajakovic is not alone in pushing Brunson toward MVP conversations, as coaches and analysts around the league increasingly view him as the engine of a Knicks team firmly lodged in the top tier of the Eastern Conference.

New York’s resurgence in both regular season play and the NBA Cup has been built on his ability to control tempo, close games and repeatedly deliver in high leverage moments.​

Brunson himself continues to deflect personal hype, insisting that winning comes before any individual trophy talk. Yet as he stacks big nights against playoff level opponents and earns comparisons to Jokic and Doncic for his command of the game, the idea of him as a genuine MVP contender looks less like flattery and more like a realistic ceiling for New York’s new franchise cornerstone.