Dean Oliver ranks Jalen Brunson around No. 25

Jalen Brunson finished sixth in ESPN’s latest ranking of the NBA’s top players, but analytics expert Dean Oliver has a considerably different evaluation of the New York Knicks star.

Oliver, who did not participate in ESPN’s seven-person voting panel, said his assessment places Brunson “around the No. 25 range.”

ESPN’s panel ranked Brunson behind only Nikola Jokic, Victor Wembanyama, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Luka Doncic and Giannis Antetokounmpo.

Oliver believes Brunson’s standing among observers is influenced partly by the “New York media bias.”

“That bias might also help you forget that Brunson missed the shot in the most iconic image from the Finals,” he said, “when OG Anunoby swooped in for the putback game-winner to clinch Game 4.”

Oliver also pointed to Brunson’s size and defensive metrics as factors affecting his analytical evaluation.