On Thursday, a collective of ESPN insiders released their NBA preseason 2025 rankings. Perennial All-Stars Nikola Jokic, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Luka Doncic represent the top three, while Giannis Antetokounmpo and Victor Wembanyama landed right outside. Anthony Edwards, Stephen Curry, LeBron James and Kevin Durant round out the list, with Jalen Brunson coming in at No. 10.

With all due respect to the insiders who created this list, Brunson could have cracked the top eight. After witnessing him perform well last season, he deserves the spot over Wembanyama and Durant, who I’d move down to ninth and tenth place.

Last season, Brunson made his second consecutive NBA All-Star team and was named a starter. He was also named second-team All-NBA after averaging 26.0 points, 7.3 assists and 2.9 rebounds per game on 48.8 % shooting from the field. Brunson was key in leading the New York Knicks to their first Eastern Conference finals appearance since 2000. The former Dallas Maverick led New York to victory over the Detroit Pistons and Boston Celtics in the first two rounds of the NBA playoffs, with the Knicks ultimately falling short of reaching the NBA Finals.

Meanwhile, Wembanyama and Durant, perennial All-Stars, could not lead their respective teams to the playoffs. Wembanyama, the San Antonio Spurs cornerstone center, had his season cut short due to Deep Vein Thrombosis in his shoulder. Durant, on the other hand, played his eighteenth NBA season with the Phoenix Suns and missed the playoffs for the first time in nearly a decade. He averaged 26.6 points, 4.2 assists, and 6.0 rebounds per game before being being dealt to the Houston Rockets at the start of the summer.

Brunson has struggled against tight defenses throughout his entire career. At 6-foot-2 and 190 pounds, he has problems rebounding, getting steals and blocking shots. Another problem is that he missed 18 games last season due to an ankle sprain. Brunson was out of action for most of March but returned in time for the playoffs.

As the NBA landscape shifts, stars like Wembanyama and Durant face challenges that remind us how fragile even the brightest careers can be, while Brunson’s determination to overcome injuries and defensive hurdles highlights the resilience needed to compete at the highest level. Perhaps this season his Knicks finally get over the hump and make to the Finals. That would catapult Brunson higher than top 10.