On Friday’s “Game Over” podcast, Max Kellerman told co-host Rich Paul that Jalen Brunson is a better player than Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. He focused his take on what happened when Brunson’s New York Knicks faced the San Antonio Spurs in the 2026 NBA playoffs.
The Knicks eliminated San Antonio in five games, while the Spurs beat Gilgeous-Alexander and the Oklahoma City Thunder in seven games.
For Kellerman, that contrast helped make the case for Brunson.
Max Kellerman Sparks NBA Backlash With Bold Shai Gilgeous-Alexander-Jalen Brunson Take
Kellerman argued that Brunson is not only the better player but also “more valuable.” He pointed to the way the Knicks guard eventually figured out San Antonio’s defense and helped New York pull off several comeback victories against Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs.
The boxing commentator acknowledged that Brunson struggled early in the series, but he believed the Knicks captain’s ability to adjust and solve the Spurs made the difference.
Max Kellerman Deems Jalen Brunson better than Shai Gilgeous-Alexander:
“SGA and Jalen Brunson play the same position, modern NBA, pick and roll, foul baiting point guards. They both have the same team. San Antonio deployed, the same defensive scheme to stop that guy it worked on… pic.twitter.com/4yCXOhpd0o
— JayTakes (@SportsWithJay0) August 28, 2026
Kellerman’s take quickly set off a wave of reactions across the NBA community.
“Max Kellerman doesn’t watch basketball; he genuinely has no clue what he’s talking about if he does. The way SGA dominates and picks apart defenses is next level, and he does so methodically and efficiently. This is getting embarrassing,” a basketball observer wrote.
Max Kellerman doesn’t watch basketball, he genuinely has no clue what he’s talking about if he does. The way SGA dominates and picks apart defenses is next level and he does so methodically and efficiently. This is getting embarrassing. https://t.co/ddCCyTQIiO
— Cj (@LakerCj) August 28, 2026
“Moronic take. Wemby plays his best against OKC. He’s got some weird things going there. OKC was without their other creators – JDub is a top-level small forward and was key to winning a title. Ajay is incredibly important as well. Without Dub, there was nobody to take pressure off SGA,” another basketball supporter added.
“OKC was without their 2nd and 3rd shot creators in JDub and Ajay Mitchell. Both incredible players. But SGA has been the best player in the NBA the last 2 years,” Thunder beat writer Brandon Rahbar doubled down on that point.
SGA averaged 25.9 points, 8.9 assists and 3.1 turnovers on 54.6 TS% in the WCF vs the Spurs.
Jalen Brunson averaged 32.6 points, 4.6 assists and 3.8 turnovers on 53.6 TS% in the Finals vs the Spurs.
OKC was without their 2nd and 3rd shot creators in JDub and Ajay Mitchell.… https://t.co/Me0FknOFEh
— Brandon Rahbar (@BrandonRahbar) August 28, 2026
“Takes like this is what got him kicked off First Take smh,” a X user couldn’t resist taking a shot at Kellerman.
“I would love to see what JB would’ve done without KAT and OG,” another X user pushed back.
Not everyone was ready to pick a side.
“I love JB and SGA so I ain’t even gonna say nothing,” a Knicks supporter tweeted.
I love JB and SGA so I ain’t even gonna say nothing 😭
— WavyTalkHoops (@wavytalkhoops) August 28, 2026
Paul offered some support for Kellerman’s argument, but he also pointed out that New York faced a different version of the Spurs than Oklahoma City did. The Klutch Sports Group CEO noted that San Antonio had already “exuded a lot of their energy” in its series against the Thunder and may have lost some focus after that seven-game battle.
Paul continued to say that the Spurs seemed to forget “they needed to win four more (games).”
Kellerman agreed with Paul’s assessment but remained firm on his belief that Brunson is the better point guard.
The regular-season history between the Spurs and Thunder adds more context to the discussion. San Antonio had dominated the matchup, going 4-1 against Oklahoma City in the regular season before beating the Thunder 4-3 in the Western Conference finals.
The Knicks, meanwhile, split their two regular-season meetings with San Antonio before beating the Spurs 124-113 in the NBA Cup Finals. New York then handled the Spurs again in the playoffs, winning the series 4-1.
The results give Brunson a strong argument, but they don’t settle the larger debate. San Antonio’s struggles against New York cannot be separated from the seven-game war against Oklahoma City, while Gilgeous-Alexander was also missing key creators around him.
Brunson proved he could solve the Spurs when it mattered, but turning that matchup into a verdict on the better player is a much bigger leap.
Kellerman has made his case, but the numbers and circumstances give the SGA side enough ammunition to fire back.
