Knicks' Jalen Brunson has shine of an All-Star
The Knicks' Jalen Brunson goes up for a shot during the second half of an NBA game against the 76ers on Friday in Philadelphia. Credit: AP/Matt Slocum
Jalen Brunson is continuing to make a strong push to make his first All-Star Game.
Brunson was named the Eastern Conference player of the week Monday, after averaging 27.3 points, 9.3 assists and 3.3 rebounds to help the Knicks go 4-0 to open January. It marked the second time this season that he has received the honor, having previously won it in November.
Brunson’s not being selected for last year’s All-Star Game in Salt Lake City was singled out by many to be one of the more egregious snubs. Considering Brunson averaged 27.8 points in the postseason to push the Knicks past the first round for the first time in a decade, he looked poised to make an All-Star run at the start of the season.
Brunson entered Tuesday night’s game against Portland at Madison Square Garden averaging 26 points and 6.4 assists, both career highs. He has had huge games against good teams, scoring a career-high 50 points in a win over Phoenix, 38 points in a win over Milwaukee on Christmas Day and, most recently, 29 points in a blowout of the 76ers last Friday.
Despite all this, Brunson was listed just sixth among Eastern Conference guards in the first release of fan voting last Thursday. Brunson sits behind Tyrese Haliburton (Indiana), Damian Lillard (Milwaukee), Trae Young (Atlanta), Donovan Mitchell (Cleveland), and Tyrese Maxey (Philadelphia). It’s possible after the week Brunson has had that he will rise in the fan rankings when the NBA shares its next update on Thursday.
Starters for the Feb. 18 All-Star Game are selected by a vote of fans, NBA players and the media. Fans make up 50% of the vote while current players and a select group of media account for 25% each.
Reserves are chosen by a vote among head coaches, though head coaches aren’t allowed to vote for their own players. There will be seven reserves for each conference.
In his pregame news conference Tuesday, Knicks coach Thibodeau was asked if he thought Brunson was playing himself into the All-Star Game.
“In my eyes, yeah, but I think it’s a byproduct of winning,” Thibodeau said. “….I always say there’s so many great players in the league, and many more are deserving. I know when I vote, and obviously I don’t have a vote for my own players, it’s a tough job because you don’t want to leave anyone who deserves it.
“There’s guys that are real close, and usually the thing that sways the close votes is the amount of winning a player does. So hopefully, we can continue to win and our players get recognized. But in my eyes, he’s certainly deserving.”
Thibodeau added that Brunson has the kind of attitude that also permeates throughout the team. The Knicks entered the game against Portland on a four-game winning streak and were tied with five teams for fourth place with a 21-15 record.
Portland coach Chauncey Billups has been impressed with the way Brunson has been playing.
I’m a huge fan of Jalen,” Billups said before the game. “I think he’s a winner more than anything. You can talk about how crafty he is and how he can score and how he’s just a winner. He makes big plays. He makes winning plays.
“He’s leading the league in taking charges and he’s just a winner. For somebody like me who just believes in that, he’s big time. I think he inspires his team and has the ability to bring you with him with how he plays. I think at the end of the day, they just believe in him. I’m happy to see his success.”
Barbara Barker is an award-winning columnist and features writer in the sports department at Newsday. She has covered sports in New York for more than 20 years.