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Did the Wrong Knicks Star Make the All-Star Team?

The New York Knicks will enjoy multiple representatives in the distinctive game, but the debate pertaining to whether the right two players were chosen remains open.
Henry Brown|
Feb 28, 2025; Memphis, Tennessee, USA; New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) reacts with guard Jalen Brunson (11) during the third quarter against the Memphis Grizzlies at FedExForum. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images
Feb 28, 2025; Memphis, Tennessee, USA; New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) reacts with guard Jalen Brunson (11) during the third quarter against the Memphis Grizzlies at FedExForum. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images | Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

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New York Knicks

Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns have made a convincing name for themselves as one of the Eastern Conference's token All-Star tandems. Their New York Knicks have only known success for the vast majority of their admittedly-brief pairing, memorably parlaying 2025's 51-win campaign into a conference finals appearance.

Those consistently strong vibes translated over the summer and across the first third of this active 2026 season, but they, like other NBA Cup winners before them, faltered shortly after taking home regular season gold. The squad spent most of January slipping, losing eight of their first 10 games of the new year before finally picking it back up to close the disastrous month.

If there's one Knick who received more pointed fingers during that stretch, it was Towns, whose lack of focus caught the attention of head coach Mike Brown numerous times. That, combined with his struggles with efficiency from all of his usual-favorite spots across the court, hurt the Knicks amidst their faltering to the middle of the Eastern pack.

New York Knicks Head Coach Mike Brown and Center Karl-Anthony Towns
Oct 31, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; New York Knicks head coach Mike Brown talks to center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) during the first half of an NBA game against the Chicago Bulls at United Center. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images | Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

The All-Star starters were revealed during that slide, and while Brunson was named a returner to the top-five vote-getters, Towns had to watch as several of his in-conference cohorts stood where he had just a season ago.

He made up for it between then and the Knicks' end-of-month return to form, though, squeaking into the list of eastern reserves for the sixth All-Star nod of his career. Even if his scoring averages didn't enjoy a sufficiently obvious jump, Towns' tweaked approach has played a real role in New York's active six-game win streak.

Was Towns the Correct Second Knicks All-Star?

Not everyone is convinced that Towns should have been the second Knick to join Brunson in the trip to Inglewood's Intuit Dome, though. Of all of the enticing options that the league's coaches had to pick through when the team still had their mojo, Mikal Bridges' path to making his All-Star debut looked among the likeliest outcomes, but the list of reserves came and went without the longtime wing receiving the nod he's waited for.

When asked which player he was most surprised to see on the finalized rosters, ESPN's Kevin Pelton had someone to talk about besides the "clear choice" in LeBron James.

"Seeing Karl-Anthony Towns added was surprising because his play this season has drawn a lot of pessimism, and the Knicks have been a bit disappointing," he wrote. "I think teammate Mikal Bridges has been New York's second-best player after starter Jalen Brunson. Given Towns' track record, the choice is certainly reasonable yet surprising nonetheless."

New York Knicks Forward Mikal Bridges and Center Karl-Anthony Towns
Nov 28, 2025; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks guard Mikal Bridges (25) slaps hands with center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) during the first half against the Milwaukee Bucks at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Bridges is leading the Knicks in games played (49) and minutes per night at 34.5, but his 15.7 scoring average is the fourth-highest in New York's lineup. He's made up for a lighter shot load with improved outside efficiency, knocking down 38.9% of his 3-pointers while setting a new career-high for himself in assists per game with 4.1.

The ball moves when he's on the court, and despite the occasional concerns he posts as a one-on-one defender, he still gets his 2.3 nightly stocks to ensure that both the offense and the defense are better when he's active.

He's meant a lot to a Knicks' starting core that's been repeatedly dinged by minor injuries, offering the sort of continuity they've needed and helping to dig the squad out of their loss-filled hole. With Towns' earning an All-Star nod amidst one of the least-impressive seasons of his accomplished career, Bridges' snub leaves the door open for debate as to who the second nominee out of the Knicks should have been.

Expect him to be a popular name to pop up if any of the other players picked to represent the conference have to back out of the weekend's affair due to injury.

Make sure you bookmark Knicks on SI for the latest news, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns and so much more!

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Henry Brown
HENRY BROWN

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