Knicks' Jalen Brunson Ready For Three-Point Contest Experience
New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson hopes to make some history on Saturday night
Brunson is hoping to become the first player in Knicks franchise history to win the Three-Point Contest at All-Star Saturday at Lucas Oil Arena. He's set to compete against fellow newcomers Malik Beasley (Milwaukee) and Tyese Maxey (Philadelphia) while also facing Tyrese Haliburton (Indiana), Lauri Markkanen (Utah), Donovan Mitchell (Cleveland), and defending champion Damian Lillard (Milwaukee).
Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
Brunson certainly hopes the main event goes better than his test runs.
“I practiced once so far," Brunson said after Wednesday night's loss against the Orlando Magic, per Peter Botte of the New York Post. "It went terrible. I didn’t make a shot. Hopefully that changes on Saturday.”
"(It's) definitely a little different. It is unorthodox. But when the ball is in your hands and you are getting ready to shoot…it all feels the same.”
Despite his apparent struggles, Brunson won't have to do much to upstage the most recent Knicks participant in the Three-Point Contest: last season saw Julius Randle put up only 13 points in the opening round after serving as an emergency injury substitution in last year's competition in Salt Lake City.
Out of the field, Beasley has the best three-point percentage this season, shooting at a 44.4 percent rate with Brunson right behind him at 41.1, just short of his career-best set last season (41.6). Brunson made outside shooting history on back in December, tying the NBA record for most successful three-point tries without a miss (9) during a 50-point outing in Phoenix.
