Knicks' Jalen Brunson On Pace For Both All-Star and All-NBA Teams?
Jalen Brunson continues to impress in his second season on a four-year, $104 million contract with the New York Knicks. It feels like Brunson is well on his way to his first career NBA All-Star Game appearance come February but, if he keeps up his current pace, postseason honors could be on the way as well.
Following Brunson's Christmas spectacular (38 points in a 129-122 win over the Milwaukee Bucks), Fred Katz of the Athletic made a case for his inclusion on both the Eastern Conference All-Star Game roster and one of the three All-NBA teams.
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"Another 30-something-point breakout is closer to his norm than his exception," Katz writes. "The Knicks (17-12) are 29 games into the season and sit in sixth place in the Eastern Conference, thanks a bunch to Brunson, who, for the sixth time in his six-year NBA vocation, is churning out a career season."
Entering Wednesday night's showdown against the Oklahoma City Thunder, Brunson was averaging 26.1 points and shooting 45.9 percent from three-point range, both career-highs. To Katz's point, Brunson has nine games with at least 30 points, including a 50-point outing on Dec. 15 in Phoenix. The Knicks are 6-3 when Brunson reaches his magic number.
Brunson faces stiff competition for both honors, such as Tyrese Haliburton and Tyrese Maxey. But teammates and opponents alike are starting to take note of Brunson's impact.
“Sometimes we don’t get to see the best of players in this league because they don’t have the same opportunity,” Bucks guard Damian Lillard said after Monday's game, per Katz. “That’s not always the case, but with him, I think you’re seeing that. They’re playing through him. They’re giving him every opportunity, and he’s taking full advantage of it.”
“He’s one of the most mentally tough players I know, but also one of the smartest players I know,” collegiate and professional teammate Donte DiVincenzo added. “He knows he’s not the most athletic. He knows he’s not the longest. But what he does know is how to run the game, how to get his buckets, how to get other people involved, and just how to control everything.”
Brunson put up nine points in the first half of Wednesday's game, which Oklahoma City leads 68-60 at halftime.
