Jalen Brunson has been carrying the Knicks near the top of the Eastern Conference the last two months. Entering the game against Indiana, the Knicks had a chance to get closer to the top of the East and Brunson, who was just announced that he will make his first All-Star appearance, proved his All-Star berth with another 40-point piece.
Jalen Brunson powered New York to a 105-109 win with Julius Randle, OG Anunoby, Mitchell Robinson and Quentin Grimes all missing due to injuries. It was a special night for Brunson who heard the Knicks faithful chanting “MVP!MVP”. Brunson, a small guard for the NBA standards, has been on a tear this season.
He’s averaging 26.8 points and 6.5 assists per game, and had the Knicks a half game above Cleveland in the Eastern Conference. The Knicks are on a 9-game winning streak with Brunson registering 32.6 points, 6.6 assists and 4.3 rebounds on 52/39/84 shooting splits. The Knicks’ superstar appeared very happy after the win against Indiana.
“It was really cool,” Brunson said, per ESPN. “The whole experience. The night. How we won. Obviously, what happened before the game … you always work for certain moments, but you never know how to react when they happen. So it was special.”
With Julius Randle expected to miss at least 3–4 weeks, Jalen Brunson’s weight in the offensive side will be even heavier. Randle was named in the All-Star team alongside Brunson, but he will likely miss the weekend in Indianapolis ailing a shoulder injury. Jalen Brunson helped the Knicks overcome a bad shooting night finishing with 15-of-30 from the field.
He attacked the paint relentlessly as his shot from beyond the arc was not dropping (1-6) and scored 11 points in the fourth quarter to push the Pacers aside. Brunson brought the Knicks within a half-game of the Milwaukee Bucks for second place in the Eastern Conference.
Jalen Brunson: Going against all odds since the start of NBA career
Brunson was a second round pick from the Dallas Mavericks back in 2018, he helped the team make it to the Western Conference finals. In the summer of 2022, he bet on himself and the Knicks bet on him to become the face of the franchise. Brunson felt at home immediately and he was barely a step away from becoming an All-Star last season.
This season, he leaves behind another superstar point guard who entered the league in the same draft with him, Trae Young who is second in assists behind Tyrese Haliburton. Jalen Brunson leading the Knicks to success in a very competitive environment gave him the ticket for his first All-Star appearance.
The former 33rd pick was very passionate about winning and he proved it to the NBA fans, coaches, and players. In December, Hall of Famer Becky Hammon talked about the fact that the Knicks do not have an “A1 player” claiming that Brunson is not in the same tier as Giannis, or Curry or Embiid.
The 2-time WNBA champion as a coach stirred controversy with her take but Brunson responded immediately with his game. The Knicks went 13-1 in January and the Villanova product finished with 30+ points in 12 of those 14 contest. He added another 30+ performance to start February on a high note.
“It’s special,” Tom Thibodeau said on Brunson’s All-Star selection, per SNY.tv. “Following him through high school and at Villanova and then during his pro career, each step of the way there’s always been naysayers, and he’s always proved them wrong. I’m just really happy for him and the whole family.”
