All-star selection should be next milestone for Knicks’ Brunson
Six years into his NBA career, Jalen Brunson keeps finding stairs to climb.
The Stevenson High School grad is averaging career highs in most statistical categories for the New York Knicks. The next stop is likely his first all-star selection.
Brunson was his usual steady, efficient self on Wednesday against the Bulls, piling up 31 points and 13 assists as the Knicks pulled away late for a 116-100 victory at Madison Square Garden. Julius Randle led New York with 35. The Bulls were within 93-91 with 8:29 left before fading down the stretch.
After winning a state title at Stevenson and two national championships with Villanova, Brunson arrived in the NBA as a second-round draft pick, No. 33 overall. He spent a couple years as a pleasant surprise, then two seasons as second fiddle to Luka Doncic in Dallas.
The Mavericks missed their chance to sign Brunson to an extension, and when he jumped to New York in free agency, it opened his potential as a lead guard. Granted, his success was tough to predict since the 6-foot-2 guard lacks typical NBA height, length or elite athleticism.
In some ways, his secret weapon was his father, former NBA guard and Bulls assistant Rick Brunson. A video surfaced last month of a much younger Jalen, shooting baskets outdoors in Charlottesville, Virginia, while being coached hard in the summer heat by his father, who now assists Tom Thibodeau on the Knicks bench.
“You probably saw how (ticked) I was at the moment,” Brunson said to the New York Post about the video. “But I guess it all worked out.”
According to the account Knicksmuse, Brunson was the first guard in NBA history to average 26 points and shoot 45% from 3 through 29 games. Heading into Wednesday's action, he was at 25.6 points and 43.1% from 3-point range through 33 contests.
With about a month left to enhance all-star candidacy, the East squad is shaping up like this: Joel Embiid, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jayson Tatum, Tyrese Haliburton, and Donovan Mitchell should be locks. Brunson, Trae Young, Tyrese Maxey, Damian Lillard, Bam Adebayo and Jaylen Brown are likely picks.
The last spot could go to someone from Orlando, Franz Wagner or Paolo Banchero, if it keeps playing well. If the Bulls start winning in January, DeMar DeRozan or Coby White could become candidates.
DeRozan scored 28 points while hitting 10 of 13 shots from the field in New York. White added 26 points and knocked down 6 of 9 shots from 3-point range, which is a positive development, since he went just 3 for 31 in the previous five games.
White also delivered one of the more impressive highlights of his career in the third quarter, throwing down a two-hand dunk over Donte DiVincenzo.
Bulls center Andre Drummond finished with 13 points and 16 rebounds, becoming the fifth player in Bulls history to grab 15 rebounds in five straight games, joining Dennis Rodman, Charles Oakley, Tom Boerwinkle and Clifford Ray. Drummond was out-rebounded, though, by the Knicks' Isaiah Hartenstein, who grabbed 20 boards.
Before the game, Bulls coach Billy Donovan said Zach LaVine survived a third high-intensity practice with the Windy City Bulls in Chicago on Wednesday. So LaVine continues on pace to make his return on Friday when the Bulls host Charlotte.
On the ABC pregame show, NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski said there is no market for a LaVine trade right now, in part because of his hefty contract. The Bulls have gone 10-7 since LaVine went out with a foot injury on Nov. 30.
This was the Knicks' second game since acquiring forward OG Anunoby from Toronto, with R.J. Barrett and Immanuel Quickley heading north.
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