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Retired NBA veteran PJ Tucker has made some strong claims relating to the NBA champion Jalen Brunson and the Oklahoma City Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (SGA).
PJ Tucker was the star guest on the Club 520 Podcast at Fanatics Fest, welcomed by NBA All-Star Jeff Teague, DJ Wells, and Bishop B Hen. During the interview, Hen asked whether Brunson was better than SGA, to which Tucker responded with a strong opinion.
“I’m rolling with JB for sure,” Tucker said. “JB’s so clutch, bro. He’s like a 90’s era player. And people don’t see it because he don’t talk a lot and he don’t going to do too much, but everybody like when you on his team and you on the bench, you over there like he’s getting the ball, bro.”
“He’s making the play every single time. A lot of teams in this league they got stars and all that; they do not want the moments,” said PJ Turner on the Club 520 Podcast at Fanatics Fest.
Although Tucker sided with Brunson, both SGA and Brunson have won an NBA title for their respective teams.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander helped the Oklahoma City Thunder secure their first-ever title since relocating from Seattle by winning the 2025 NBA Finals. Meanwhile, Jalen Brunson ended a 53-year championship drought for the New York Knicks by capturing the 2026 title.
Both guards earned Finals MVP honors during their respective championship runs. Furthermore, SGA cemented his historical dominance by capturing back-to-back regular-season NBA MVP awards across 2025 and 2026, alongside the 2025 NBA scoring title.
But what about handling the pressure? Have SGA and Brunson been able to play well in the playoffs? And how do they fare head-to-head?
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Brunson have incredible stats, but one seems to be better head-to-head
Although both have been monstrous these past few years, the stats tell a different story about the two. SGA has averaged 26.2 points, 6.2 assists, 4.8 rebounds, 1.4 steals, and 1 block during his five playoff seasons. Brunson has averaged 26 points, 5.5 assists, 3.7 rebounds, 0.8 steals, and 0.1 blocks over six seasons.
But things take a turn when we see the head-to-head stats. While SGA has averaged 22.4 points, 4.2 assists, 4.1 rebounds, 1.2 steals, and 0.8 blocks per game, Brunson has only averaged 16.8 points, 5.1 assists, 2.8 rebounds, 0.8 steals, and 0.1 blocks per game, according to StatMuse.
This showcases how prominent a scorer SGA is, averaging 26.2 points against Brunson’s teams while also contributing defensively with steals and blocks. Brunson, on the other hand, has historically posted more modest numbers in these direct matchups.
Though both players have had incredible form and runs in the playoffs, with Tucker siding with Brunson as the better player, Brunson has yet to show his full abilities against SGA’s team.
Where do you stand? Does Brunson’s clutch factor give him the edge, or does SGA’s all-around game make him the clear pick? Let us know in the comments!
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