Mike Brown believes that New York Knicks captain and former Villanova standout Jalen Brunson should be the NBA’s Top ‘Cat.

The Knicks head coach emphatically made Brunson’s MVP case following his latest metropolitan masterpiece, a 37-point effort that secured not only a 118-109 win over the Milwaukee Bucks but also entrance into the NBA Cup’s knockout round for the third consecutive season.

“He should be talked about right now, it’s early, but as a potential MVP,” Brown said, per Ian Begley of SNY. “There’s not enough chatter, which, it’s early, so I’m not throwing a fit, but the guy had 37 tonight on 12-of-21 [shooting].”

“He gets blitzed often, and he makes the right basketball play. He basically did what he was supposed to d,o and that’s why I don’t talk about it a lot because that’s what he’s capable of doing and that’s what he’s supposed to do, being of that stature.”

Brown, of course, is new to the Brunson bonanza as the newly-crowned Knicks boss. But an effort like Friday’s has become part of an exhilarating new normal for Knicks observers.

This time around, Brunson helped the Knicks (12-6) erase a deficit that reached as high as a dozen with a scintillating second half that saw him score 22 points. The third quarter proved particularly thrilling, as Brunson scored just over half of the Knicks’ 31 period points (16), hitting all but one of his eight tries from the field.

Brown readily admitted that he believes that his squad has not reached its full potential. But he was ready to place credit for the Knicks’ recent scorching stretch in Brunson’s corner, one that has New York rising in the early eastern leaderboard.

Since Brunson endured a two-game absence due to an ankle injury earlier this month, the Knicks have won four of five. Brunson has the second-most points in that span (since Nov. 19) behind only Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of Oklahoma City … the most recent backcourt riser to land the Association’s most coveted initials.

“Hopefully you guys and your peers will start really talking the right way about this young man in terms of him having some MVP talk because that’s what he is,” Brown said in Begley’s report. “We’re not playing the best basketball right now, but we’re trending in the right direction, and he’s the engine behind it. So to me, he just did what he’s supposed to do, which equates to him being the MVP of the league.”

Brunson’s next chance to improve his MVP case lands on Sunday evening when the Knicks face the Toronto Raptors at home (6 p.m. ET, MSG).