Stephen A. Smith Believes Jalen Brunson Should Have Been Over Luka Doncic on All NBA

The infamous ESPN analyst has his favorite star of his favorite team ahead of Doncic

Dec 3, 2022; New York, New York, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic (77) controls the ball against New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) during the third quarter at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports / Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

The NBA released the All-NBA teams on Wednesday before the Mavericks beat the Timberwolves in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals. On the First Team for the 5th consecutive year was Dallas' Luka Doncic; on the second team was Jalen Brunson, point guard of the New York Knicks and formerly of the Mavs. ESPN analyst Stephen A. Smith had a problem with that on First Take on Friday morning.

.@stephenasmith believes Jalen Brunson should've made first-team All-NBA over Luka 👀 pic.twitter.com/YMXfXMz7mB

— First Take (@FirstTake) May 24, 2024

READ MORE: Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving Lift Dallas Mavericks to Game 1 WCF Win: 3 Game-Changing Plays

"I wasn't shocked, but I thought, upon reflection, I definitely thought that Jalen Brunson deserved to be First Team," Smith said on air. "Believe it or not, even ahead of Luka (Doncic). Now I know that's sacrilegious... I had Jalen Brunson second team but I kind of regret doing that... When Julius Randle goes down, Jalen Brunson averaged 31.5 points (per game) the rest of the season and propelled the Knicks toward a number 2 seed. Luka Doncic, as great as he is, had Dallas at a number 5 seed."

The First Team ended up being Doncic, Denver's Nikola Jokic, Oklahoma City's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Milwaukee's Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Boston's Jayson Tatum. Many thought the debate came down to Brunson and Tatum, and Brunson even finished ahead of him in the MVP voting, but voters care more about leading a team to success in All-NBA more than they do the MVP.

To debunk Stephen A. Smith's take, Doncic led the league in scoring this season with 33.9 PPG, tacking on 9.8 APG and 9.2 RPG, while Brunson averaged 28.7 PPG, 6.7 APG, and 3.6 RPG. Both the Mavericks and the Knicks won 50 games this season, meaning Dallas would've been in a tie for the 2nd seed if they were in the Eastern Conference, and Doncic averaged 37.6 PPG, 11.3 APG, and 9.1 RPG in 19 games without Kyrie Irving this season, an even higher level than Brunson reached without Randle. The Eastern Conference is a much easier conference than the West, so seeding doesn't matter as much when you can evaluate win totals.

Saying Brunson should've been over Doncic is an absurd homer take by Smith, a Knicks fan. This isn't even to discredit the great season Brunson had for New York, who played great for Dallas before departing in free agency two offseasons ago, Doncic was just otherworldly, beating him out in every major statistical category, being a better defender, and leading his team to the same win total in a tougher conference.

Luka Doncic will be leading his team into Game 2 of the Western Conference tonight against the Timberwolves, while Brunson's depleted Knicks team lost to the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference Semifinals.

READ MORE: Former NBA Champion Calls Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving 'Best Offensive Duo in NBA History'

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