Are they both “the guy”? For the Knicks I think Brunson is “the guy”. There’s an argument to be made that Bam is the guy for Miami (personally I don’t believe that but there’s enough of an argument).
Brown is on the better team, has better counting stats and neither Butler nor Randle are the clear top option (more Randle than Butler, I think Brunson is the top dog in NY).
I don’t think any of them are locks but I think Jaylen is ahead of both Butler and Randle
I personally think Brunson is more important, but Randle leads them in ppg, FGA per game, and was an all star. He’s definitely looked at as the guy for them, and already has all nba on his resume, I’d he legitimately shocked if he doesn’t make it, plus he has better counting stats than Jaylen. 25/10/4>26/7/3, especially with Randle having the slightly higher TS.
Butler is more of a wildcard, but it’s not about the ppg for him, he just has the reputation around the league as an amazing player who only turns it up when he needs to. That’s why he’s already made 4 all nba teams despite never putting up monster raw stats, he’s an advanced stat superstar, and the voters are much bigger than they ever have been on advanced stats and on/off numbers. Jaylen is averaging 4 more ppg, but Butlers TS is 6% higher after tonight, and is considered a much better playmaker/defender.
The big thing though is Randle and Butler have been trending up, whereas Jaylen has been trending down for the last couple of months. His TS since January 1st is well below league average, has been even lower since February 1st, his advanced stats have been fading, his on/off numbers are dreadful, and the buzz about him has also been falling off.
I’d love for him to make it, I always want players to get paid, but he’s going to need a
really strong finish IMO. His 3 ball abandoning him this season is just brutal timing for him.