Jalen Brunson has just missed out on a starting spot in the 2024 All-Star Game, and Charles Barkley believes he should have been in the lineup. As he reacted to the news of Brunson being snubbed, the 11-time All-Star commended the New York Knicks guard for making the franchise relevant for the first time since the 1990s.
“What Jalen Brunson has did for the Knicks, he made the New York Knicks relevant for the first time since Patrick Ewing,” Barkley said on Inside the NBA.
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Barkley also called Brunson one of the greatest free-agent signings he had ever seen, as no one imagined he’d turn out to be this good. Since he arrived in New York in 2022, the 27-year-old has certainly helped turn things around for the Knicks. He led the franchise to the playoffs with a 47-35 record in 2022-23 and helped them win a series for the first time since 2013 when they beat the Cleveland Cavaliers in five games.
In this 2023-24 campaign, Brunson has led the Knicks to a 28-17 record, and entering their most recent game against the Denver Nuggets, he was averaging 26.6 points, 3.9 rebounds, 6.5 assists, and 1.0 steals per game this season. Thanks to his heroics, New York looks set to make it into the playoffs in back-to-back seasons for the time since they made it three times in a row from 2011 to 2013.
While Brunson has made them relevant, I would say it is a bit unfair to Carmelo Anthony for Barkley to skip over his tenure with the franchise. It was during Antony’s time there that they made those three consecutive playoff appearances and won a series. The end of his tenure with the Knicks paints a picture that it was a total failure, but it was not.
Until Brunson leads the Knicks to the Eastern Conference Finals, he’d only have achieved as much as Anthony did, and I don’t think he’ll be able to pull that off. As good as he and the Knicks have been, they’re still a tier below the likes of the Boston Celtics, Milwaukee Bucks, and Philadelphia 76ers.
If they are to replicate the kind of success they had during Ewing’s tenure (two NBA Finals appearances in 1994 and 1999), the Knicks have to make a move for a star to pair with Brunson. As presently constructed, they don’t have the firepower to beat the big boys in their Conference in a seven-game series.
Jalen Brunson Missed Out On A Starting Spot On A Tiebreaker
In case you’re wondering how Brunson missed out on a starting spot, he lost a tiebreaker to Damian Lillard. The starters are chosen based on a combination of fan votes (50%), media votes (25%), and player votes (25%).
Among guards in the East, Brunson finished fifth in fan voting, second in media voting, and third in player voting. It gave him a weighted score of 3.75.
Lillard, meanwhile, was third in fan voting, fifth in media voting, and fourth in player voting, which left him with a weighted score of 3.75 as well. Fan rank is what breaks ties in the selection process and as a result, Brunson just missed out. He will certainly be among the reserves in the East and at the end of the day, making the team is all that matters.
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