Jalen Brunson's Knicks teammates miffed at his All-Star snub
Knicks guard Jalen Brunson looks on against the Clippers in the first half of an NBA game at Madison Square Garden on Saturday. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
Jalen Brunson was missing Thursday night, forced to sit out with a non-covid illness. His teammates could understand him missing that win over the Miami Heat, but what they couldn’t quite understand was that Brunson would be missing the NBA All-Star Game.
Brunson was left off the top 10 in the fan vote for starters and he was not selected as a reserve by the Eastern Conference coaches. And while he still could land in the game as an injury substitution — after all, availability has been one of his trademarks — the Knicks had a hard time understanding how he was left out.
Julius Randle earned his second All-Star honors, named as a reserve by the coaches. And while he was happy to receive the opportunity he believed Brunson should be there, too.
“It’s a team effort, man,” Randle said Thursday night. “It’s a team honor. The only thing that really [stinks] about it is I think Jalen should be right here with me.”
Brunson was a nominee for Eastern Conference Player of the Month in January, averaging 28.7 points and 5.4 assists per game while connecting on 45% from beyond the arc. But he has been a key contributor on the court and in the locker room, providing the Knicks with the leader they have lacked.
Brunson, who was a second-round pick of the Dallas Mavericks, worked his way into a larger role every year in Dallas and in signing with the Knicks has provided the team with as good of a free agent acquisition as they have had in decades.
“I thought he was deserving and the hard thing about the All-Star game is there’s not enough spots for all the guys that are deserving, had a great year,” Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said. “Usually the next year, once you get established, usually you get more consideration. And hopefully he’ll still get consideration this year if someone is out. He deserves it as well. Both guys, Julius in particular, just thrilled for him for the work that he put in and the way he’s approached the game.”
“Night in, night out, not only the impact that he’s had on this team but me personally,” Randle said. “He takes a lot of weight off my shoulders, and he’s somebody I know I can trust every night to get the job done. And that goes for everybody on our team. Obviously, JB, he’s been incredible this season and what he’s done for this team on a night in, night out basis is amazing. So, like I said, I feel like he should be an All-Star.”
Brunson will return to his hometown Philadelphia next week — the Knicks face the Sixers Friday night. But a day earlier at halftime of Villanova’s game against DePaul he will have his jersey retired by the school he helped to two national championships.
That’s the honor for now. But his teammates believe more will come.
“I thought he deserved it,” Isaiah Hartenstein said of Brunson’s All-Star bid. “You never know with the NBA, but again, he’s been really helpful for us this year, and I think he should’ve made it. But I think he’ll definitely make it in the future. But yeah, he’s been big for us this year. Sad that he didn’t make it.”
Steve Popper covers the Knicks for Newsday. He has spent nearly three decades covering the Knicks and the NBA, along with just about every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.
