Knicks head coach Mike Brown believes Jalen Brunson isn’t just playing like an All-Star — he’s playing like the league’s Most Valuable Player.

“To me, we’re talking MVP,” Brown said after practice at the Knicks’ training facility on Thursday. “When you look around the league, and you’re talking about an MVP candidate, you’re talking about probably the top-three teams in each conference. You’ve gotta look at their main guy.”

Through 24 games, Brunson has been exactly that: The top player on a Knicks team aiming to compete for a title. New York entered Saturday’s NBA Cup semifinal against the Orlando Magic with a 17–7 record, trailing only the East-leading Detroit Pistons (19–5) in the conference. Boston (15–9), Orlando (15–10), and Toronto (15–11) were packed together behind them for the

See Full Page